inFAMOUS 3: Warrior of the People
by WhiteZephyr
Summary: Sequel to Spirit of the People. Joan has met her match-literally-as a new enemy appears and has set her sights on killing Cole! Joan's resolve is put to the test as she fights against an opponent that rivals the Beast's strength, and his lust for death!
1. Prologue

inFAMOUS – 3:

Warrior of the People

Prologue

Cole and Lucy stood there for a moment, too stunned to say anything. Joan, or Kayce, as she claimed her name was, glowered at them in disgust. Her jacket was white with black trim, black jeans, white shoes with black on them, a white wristband, and a black messenger bag. The black fire on her arms slowly crawled around her neck, and then went back to her arms. Her eyes were totally black, with only the reflections of the candles showing them any light. Her hair was raven-black, and longer than Joan's.

"Kessler?" Cole repeated.

She nodded. _**"Yes. I'm going to kill you to let my father rest in peace."**_

Lucy gritted her teeth. "What have you done with Joan?"

Kayce cast a glance at the figure on the altar; Joan. _**"I'm letting her rest. When she awakens, I'll kill her. I want to see the look in her eyes as she's killed by the person she could have—**_**should**_** have—been."**_

"I'm not gonna let you do that!" Cole spat.

Kayce laughed at him. _**"Oh, I'd love to see you try, hero-boy. You know that you couldn't hurt Joan, even if you wanted to. So what makes you think that you can hurt me? I'm the same person, but with a few key differences."**_

"And those would be…?" Lucy asked.

_**"I'm **_**better**_**." **_

Kayce tossed a fireball at the two, which they managed to dodge without a problem. Cole ducked behind a pew and readied his lightning, the blue bouncing off of the walls. He looked to Lucy, who nodded, and they both came out of cover, ready to fire their powers.

But she wasn't there.

"What…?" Cole muttered.

He heard a strange giggle behind him. _**"Oh, Cole. You're nothing like Kessler at all, are you?"**_

Cole whipped around and fired a bolt of lightning, but hit nothing. Laughter erupted throughout the cathedral, surrounding the two Conduits.

"Where is she?" Lucy hissed, as the candles started to go out.

_**"Yes. Where is she? Above you? Below you?"**_ They heard another round of laughter. _**"Beside you?"**_

Lucy jumped at the voice, which had come to her immediate right. She grabbed the arm of Kayce and started to freeze her arm.

But Kayce didn't even flinch. _**"Nice reaction,"**_ she commented as her arm maxed-out its fire. _**"But not good enough."**_

Lucy released Kayce quickly, grasping her arm as if it was burning. Cole fired a bolt at Kayce, but she'd disappeared again.

"How's she _doing_ that?" Cole murmured.

"She must have powers similar to Nix," Lucy told him, rubbing her arm. "We know that if a Conduit takes a certain path, lets say 'evil' instead of 'good', they get powers that are different than what they'd get if they'd followed the 'good' path."

_**"Very intuitive, Kuo,"**_ Kayce said, sitting on the pew and startling the two other Conduits. _**"I can see why the NSA were upset to let you go."**_

Cole reached for Kayce, the lightning bristling from his fingertips, but she evaporated in a cloud of smoke, reappearing on a statue of an angel.

_**"You two are like ants,"**_ she mused, smiling maniacally. _**"When a leaf falls on the path, you don't know what to do."**_ She smiled and evaporated again, appearing behind Cole and Lucy. _**"And I'm gonna crush you like ants."**_

Cole grabbed Kayce's throat and squeezed, his lightning curling around her body. "You…! You bitch!"

She stuck her tongue out and evaporated. _**"I think I've decided something,"**_ she said, appearing beside the altar. _**"I'll let her go. When we see each other again…"**_ She smiled and wrapped a hand around Joan's throat. _**"I'll kill her. And as I kill her, I'll watch the look on your face. And you'll know the pain you caused me as you killed my father."**_ She released Joan and looked at Cole. _**"And then I'll kill your girlfriend, the bitch who chose her life over the life of humanity. Or maybe I'll just let her become one of my allies, since it's **_**so**__**easy**_** for her to betray the people she thought she was on the same side of. And then, Cole, I'll kill you. And I'll enjoy watching you suffer as New Marias, and soon, the world, will crumble around my feet, and all the people will blame you, MacGrath."**_ She appeared in front of Cole. _**"Because you didn't kill Joan MacGrath when you had the chance."**_

She disappeared before Cole could even move, her laughter ringing through the cathedral. Cole took a step back, Kayce's words sinking in.

"Cole…?" Lucy probably didn't know what to say.

Cole gritted his teeth. "Let's get Joan outta here."

She nodded solemnly, and squeezed Cole's shoulder in reassurance. Something he'd need for a long time, she had no doubt of.


	2. Remembrance

Chapter One:

Remembrance

There are a few things that I'm sure you're aware of by now. Number one: I'm a Conduit. A fire Conduit, to be exact. Number two: Cole happens to be my dad through a strange series of coincidences and choices. Number three: I'm unconscious.

With everything that's happened to me ever since I escaped Kessler and became a fire Conduit, sometimes I wish I could just stay unconscious and never wake up, just so I don't have to deal with the shit that comes at me. Sometimes I wanna find a corner and curl up in it, watching the world go by and whatever.

Well, I was kinda doin' that. You see, since I'm unconscious, I'm dreaming. It usually happens with me. But it wasn't so much as dreams as they were memories. Everything from when I was born (seriously, not pretty) to when I'd 'escaped' Kessler, to when I'd blacked out, staring into the pure onyx eyes of myself. Hell, I didn't really understand what was going on then, only that I was me and she was me. And I thought I'd been having an identity crisis when I'd woke up in that hospital bed…

But I could see everything. I was remembering everything, that much I knew. I remembered that hate I had for Kessler, the relief when Dana had been put in the cage next to mine. She had been someone I could finally talk to. I remember Kessler peering at me through the bars that were my prison, and saying, "My favourite Vessel." When he'd first said that, I didn't understand.

Now I did, which meant it was time to wake up.

When I finally managed to peel open my eyes, I was staring at the night sky. There wasn't a cloud up there, and the stars seemed a little more prominent than I'd ever seen 'em.

"My friggin' head…" I muttered, sitting up and holding it in my hands. "Dammit. I thought…" I remembered the cathedral, and Bertrand. "Where the hell…?"

Lucy came up to the roof, landing on it gracefully. "Joan! Oh, thank God you're awake! Cole and I were worried sick!"

I nodded. "I can tell. You look like you haven't slept a wink." I tentatively got up, rubbing where I'd remembered Bertrand sticking his arm into me. "Damn… What the hell happened? I was confronting Bertrand, and then he grabbed some sort of… _thing_, and his arm was inside of me…" I shuddered. "And then I saw… _me_." I laughed half-heartedly. "I must be goin' totally bonkers."

The look on Lucy's face conformed otherwise.

"Woah, wait a sec!" I said, standing up quickly. "So, I really saw…?"

She nodded. "Joan, she said her name was Kayce."

I stared dumbly at her. "But… I'm…!" And then I understood. Thank-you, weird and convenient memories! "Call Cole. I need to talk to you both. Get Zeke too, if you can."

Lucy nodded and grabbed her cell. "They'll most likely be here in two minutes."

I nodded and went inside. Now that I remembered everything—and I mean everything, I'd have to tell them what I knew. About Kessler, and how he used to call me a "Vessel". I understood, which meant that we'd still be in the fight.

Cole and Zeke were at the hideout in no time at all. Both guys hugged me until I couldn't breathe, and then they, along with Lucy, sat at the table. I decided not to, since I'd already been unconscious and I liked to stand to get my strength back.

"So, Cole, Lucy tells me that you guys fought some sort of demented version of me calling herself, 'Kayce'." I said.

He nodded. "Yeah, but her colour scheme was totally different than yours. Makes it kinda convenient to tell who you are."

I rubbed my head. "When I woke up, I remembered."

"Remembered what?" Zeke asked.

"Everything," I answered simply. "I remember what Kessler did to me, and what happened the day of the Blast." I sat down, taking a deep breath. "And I know why Kessler called me a 'Vessel'."

Cole leaned forward. "A few Dead Drops that I found of Wolfe's said that Kessler had come to New Marias a few times. Mostly to meet with the original Bertrand."

"Well, he got to Bert Jr. too," I told him. "Before I confronted Bertrand, he said that the 'Angel Kessler' gave him some sort of 'divine mission' to carry out. So I came out of my hiding spot and I was gonna burn his face off, when he grabbed this device thing or whatever, and stuck it inside of me, as well as his arm. I felt him grab hold of something, and when he pulled it out of me, I saw me." I sighed. "Or, at least, that demented and much bitchier version of me."

"Woah…" Zeke mouthed. "So, she's like Nega-Joan or somethin'?"

"She's me." I rubbed my head. "I don't know most of the details, but somehow, my hate for Kessler somehow created her, and my hate for him was her love for him. Therefore, most of my relationships with her should be pretty twisted. Kessler called me a 'Vessel' because I was harbouring Kayce inside of me." I sighed. "Somehow, I feel like Kayce was the one who Kessler intended me to be. Maybe Joan—the person I am now—wasn't supposed to exist at all."

Cole squeezed my shoulder. "Asshole and manipulative bastard as he was, Kessler's intentions were good. Mostly." Cole ruffled my hair. "We need to find out what Kessler was planning before we jump to conclusions."

I put on my best "brave" face. "I guess you're right. Now, we just gotta find this bitch. Any luck?"

"No," Cole answered, shaking his head. "She disappears too quickly for me to follow, and when she wants to hide, she can sure as hell hide."

"And with mess that she leaves behind, that's sayin' somethin'," Zeke added. "I thought teens these days didn't exercise…?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, that's just what we want people to think." I got up and stretched. "There's one more thing I remembered."

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

I smiled. "I remembered where my mom lives. And I know she's alive. She has some info on me from when the First Sons'd been doing their tests on me."

"So… she might have a way to get rid of Kayce?" Lucy asked excitedly.

I nodded. "It's possible. I'm gonna go lookin' for her to make sure. Anybody wanna come?"

Cole stood up. "I'll go."

"You can't, Cole!" Lucy exclaimed. "What if she thinks you're Kessler? Not to mention that the Rebels need your help here, and the people will find much more reassurance with you being here and fighting against Kayce, Bertrand and the Militia, instead of going off for God knows how long!"

Cole frowned. "Fine. I'll stay. But no one else can leave here, since you, Lucy, are also a big part of the Rebels, and Zeke's still doing undercover work for the Militia."

"I'm calling Lance," Lucy declared, getting her cell phone out.

I froze. "Woah! Stop right there! I don't think we wanna bring Lance into this!"

"We need someone to go with you, and we trust him," Cole explained. "Besides, you saw what Lance did to the armour of a Devourer with just one punch. That kid's stronger than he looks, and I'm sure, if you're ambushed, that he'll be able to protect himself."

Zeke left the table quickly and came back with two handguns. "And just in case, give 'im these."

I frowned and took the guns. "You guys sure have a lot of confidence in him."

"Don't you?" Zeke asked.

I shrugged. "I'd rather not have him getting hurt…"

Lucy shut her phone. "He's agreed to meet us here in ten minutes. Joan, get some things together and get ready."

One of Cole's eyebrows rose. "Where exactly does your mom live?"

"Canada."

Cole sighed. "You're gonna be gone for a while. You'd better pack. And put some of my shirts in a suitcase for Lance; he'll need 'em."

I nodded. "I'll be back before you guys know it!"


	3. Trip

Chapter Two:

Trip

"Are we there yet?" I asked for about the billionth time.

"No," Lance replied for about the billionth time. "We're not even halfway there yet."

I sighed. "Man, if I flew there we wouldn't be having this problem."

"But I'm here with you," Lance pointed out. "And I have most of our stuff with us."

I nodded. "I get it. Fine, I'll be quiet."

A few minutes passed in silence. Lance would sometimes curse at another driver for cutting him off, but other than that there was nothing. Lance turned on the radio to a station that gave mostly pop and techno songs, with a bit of rock. It wasn't a bad combo.

"So…" I said after a while. "What kinda songs do you sing?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Anything I feel like."

"What's a recent one you've done?"

"Hm…" He thought for a moment. "I think it was alternative rock."

"Oh." I sighed. "So, if everyone at school knows you as Lance Grey, the famous musician, why d'you think it's annoying that girls are always following you around? You seem to enjoy it."

He chuckled. "Believe me; I hate it. I just don't wanna hurt their feelings. I'm actually glad to have a friend who isn't after me, you know?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Running after you is probably the _last_ thing I'd do."

"You're too busy running _away_ from me." Lance glanced at me. "So, it's been a challenge chasing after you."

"I dunno why you'd chase after me." I glared at him. "I mean, for gosh sakes! You never give up!"

He shrugged. "I dunno why I do it either. And I'm not giving up until I get results."

"There has to be a reason why you're doing this."

Lance smiled. "I dunno. I guess ever since I first saw those silver eyes of yours, I've been too curious to leave you alone. Not to mention I didn't have any disguises on when you saw me, and you acted like I was the most inconvenient person that you'd ever laid eyes on."

"You almost made me late…" I muttered sourly.

"And when I ended up coming into your apartment… well, I decided that fate wanted me to satisfy my curiosity."

I chuckled dryly. "Fate is an asshole."

Lance nodded. "Sometimes, I guess. Other times, it seems like I'm just too lucky."

We reached the border and got through without a problem, thanks to Zeke's superior forging skills. So, we were in Canada. Now I just had to figure out where Wadena was.

"Province of Saskatchewan," I said, looking at the map. "It's a tiny town called 'Wadena'."

"Saskache-what?" Lance exclaimed.

I patted him on the head. "Don't worry your poor little mind about it. We're in the province, but now we gotta find that town." I folded the map. "And from the looks of things, we past it about two and a half hours ago."

Lance groaned. "So we gotta turn back?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But we're not far from Saskatoon. Just keep driving, and we'll get a room for the night, and then we'll head out in the morning."

So, we drove for another few minutes before entering Saskatoon. We found a hotel room after some searching, and it wasn't too bad.

During our trip, we'd gotten used to having to sleep in the same bed, though at first I'd refused and slept in the car, even though Lance made fun of me for it. So I'd finally slept with him, but only after Lance had explained that since we were friends, it was totally fine.

I flopped onto the bed and just laid there, unmoving. "I'm going to sleep like this."

Lance laughed. "Well, go ahead. Unless you don't want any blankets."

I frowned at him, but got up and picked out some PJ's to sleep in. "I'm showering," I told Lance. "Go to the bathroom before I do."

Lance said that he didn't need to go, so I quickly hopped in and enjoyed the feeling of hot water. Only ten minutes later, I was out and drying my hair with a towel. Lance liked to shower in the mornings, so he was already changed and flipping through the T.V. channels.

I crawled into the massive bed as far as I possibly could from him and got comfortable.

"Night," Lance said as he turned the volume down.

"Night," I replied.

You would not believe how fast I went to sleep.


	4. Arrival

Chapter Three:

Arrival

I woke up to the steady breathing of Lance. I knew I was awake, but I refused to open my eyes. I wanted to stay in the warm cocoon that was the bed for as long as possible.

I felt Lance shift slightly, and realized that it wasn't just the bed that I'd made a cocoon out of. I slowly peeled my eyes open, and stared, horror-struck, at Lance's chest.

My arms were wrapped around him, as his were me. I think I almost screamed, but managed to suppress it and take my arms back for myself. Then I very quickly (but very subtly) got out of his arms. The bastard looked so peaceful, too.

I kept my distance from him like the had the plague and went into the bathroom. Surprisingly, it looked like I'd had a good night's sleep.

_What did that bastard slip into my root beer…?_ I wondered.

I was making eggs when Lance finally got up. There was a kitchen in the hotel room, which was pretty convenient. I was trying my best to forget how I'd woken up when Lance wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his head on top of mine.

"Eggs, huh?" he said. "My favourite. I didn't know you could cook!"

"Release me, or you'll learn what a hot frying pan to the face feels like," I said, almost growling.

Lance laughed and let go of me. "You were cuddly last night."

"Do you know how perverted that sounds?" I asked, frowning. "I doubt it was me. You probably took advantage of me while I was sleeping, you jerk."

"I didn't!" Lance said, putting his hands up in defence. "I fell asleep and woke up once last night, and you were hugging me!"

"You're a damn liar!" I snapped, my face turning a little red. "Now sit down or I'll hit you with these eggs!"

When we were finally back on the road, Lance and I weren't talking. Or, rather, I wasn't talking to Lance. He would occasionally look at me, smile, and then look back at the road. And each time my face would get a little redder, but if it was because I was embarrassed or just pissed off, I didn't know.

We reached Wadena in record time, and cruised slowly down Main Street as we examined where we needed to go next.

"So, explain to me how you knew what town she was in, in what province, in what country, but you don't know the street?"

I shrugged. "Maybe Kessler or my mom brought me here once before. As for the rest… Well, I kinda have my memory back."

"That's good news!" Lance exclaimed.

"Yeah…" But most of them I'd rather not have, I thought bitterly as I remembered the pain I'd gone through. I suddenly saw a water tower that heavily resembled a golf ball. "Not far now."

Lance nodded and kept driving. When we went over the train tracks, we turned right down a quaint street, with people out mowing their lawns and visiting. When we reached a blue duplex, Lance turned left.

"Okay, it should be on the left, and it'll be an old brown house," I told him.

Lance squinted. "There? At the end?"

"Must be," I replied. "But I don't remember the houses on its left… They must be new or somethin'."

Lance pulled into the driveway. The house had a swing set in the back, with a large garden, a garage that was most likely used for quads, and a medium-sized deck.

"Well, here we are," Lance said, getting out of the car.

I nodded and followed him out, suddenly finding breathing very difficult. Lance led the way up the steps, and we just stood outside the door for a moment before Lance put a hand on my shoulder.

"Look, you might as well ring the doorbell," he said. "We came all this way. Even if she's moved, we have to make sure."

I nodded. "But the thing is, it'll seem a bit awkward."

"How?" he asked.

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe somewhere in the, 'I'm-the-kid-you-had-for-a-science-experiment-and-now-needs-your-help-in-defeating-a-much-more-evil-version-of-myself-and-I-don't-mean-it-in-a-spiritual-way' department."

"Good point." Lance took a breath and squeezed my hand, which I just realized that I'd been holding. "Well, no time to be awkward like the present."

I nodded again and released Lance's hand, then pushed the doorbell in. A few seconds of waiting, and an all-too-familiar person opened it.

"Kayce," she greeted a little dryly.

"Dana," I replied with the same tone.

_Well, this just got a little more interesting…_


	5. Leader

Chapter Four:

Leader

_**Kayce**_

The Militia are a stupid faction. Especially their leader, Joseph Bertrand IV. What an idiot, believing that Kessler was an angel. Then again, if he weren't so much of an idiot, I wouldn't be here now, would I?

Humans are fickle creatures. I don't get how Cole MacGrath, the man who I share my DNA with, can't see that Conduits should be above the people. They can do so much more, and much better, than running around and fighting their definition of "evil". As far as I was concerned, the weak deserved to be weak. Only the strong survive in a world like this.

Bertrand believed me when I said that I was the "Angel of Judgement". What an idiot. He has willingly pledged me his resources and army of Militia to my "holy cause". He doesn't realize that his usefulness will soon be obliterated, and that he won't live to see what I have in store for New Marias.

I stood on the stage with Bertrand as he gave his speech about "God's plan", and how the Conduits had to be destroyed. A smile came to my lips as I heard him say that. Yes, the Conduits would be destroyed, but so would humanity. I just had to wait, and bide my time.

_"… The time has come, my friends!"_ Bertrand cried into the microphone on his podium. _"The Demon of Empire City and his friends must surrender, be driven out, or killed! They are oppressing the people of New Marias—our friends and neighbours! We must rise up once more, and show them the true might of the New Marias Militia! We must show them what happens when they mess with _our_ city!"_

A cheer rose from the mass of Militia watching him. He was their icon—a phoenix rising from the ashes of his father, and taking upon the mantle of a leader. I knew he wasn't ready—so did Kessler. He would never amount to the leader his father was, but he was a perfect pawn of mine. A perfect little tool.

_"The time has come once more! We must wipe the deviants off the face of the Earth! We will not stand while they _brainwash_ the poor people of this city!"_ Bertrand gestured to me. _"God has given us a gift! He has let us know that this cause is just, and we must _prove_ to him that we _can_ destroy the deviants! Kill the Demon of Empire City! Kill the Ice Woman! Kill the people of the ice! Kill them _all_!"_

_ What a riveting speech, _I thought sarcastically. _And now its time for the fun part._

_ "Hunt them down!" _Bertrand roared. _"Seal the exits! No one comes in, no one gets out!"_

The Militia hurried to do as he said. Bertrand smiled and came over to me. He was probably in his thirties, with black hair that was smoothed back, and blue eyes.

"And now, my angel," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder, "we'll kill the deviants, as God has told us to."

_**"And believe me, Bertrand,"**_ I said, smiling, _**"He is pleased."**_

Bertrand nodded. "I hope so. I am only on this Earth in order to serve my Lord."

I shook his hand off and looked at the dissipating crowd. _**"Many people will try to hide the deviants. We know that the Ice People are found mainly in Flood Town, but I have no doubt that while the Militia was in its weakened state, they have covered some ground. Therefore, get your men to search through every home and every building in New Marias, and don't think to leave even the Swamp out. Those Corrupted are few in number, so they shouldn't be a problem."**_

"I can do that," Bertrand said.

_**"Good. And remember; anyone can be one of those freaks. Bring each person in New Marias in for questioning, and I'll examine them."**_

Bertrand nodded. "I will do as you ask."

_**"And in doing so, you do the will of God."**_

But what I'd "forgotten" to tell Bertrand was that I already knew where MacGrath was staying. I knew where every one of his hideouts were, thanks to Joan. But it wasn't time yet to hunt Cole—not until I'd destroyed the things he loved most, including his fat-ass friend, Zeke Jedediah Dunbar.

I was leading a squadron of Militia around New Marias when I heard whispers from the people.

"Cole's gonna crush 'em!"

"MacGrath'll stop this madness!"

I smiled. _**"If your precious Demon will stop me, let me ask you this; where the hell is he? I don't see him fighting the Militia, or protecting you at all! If you can even call what he's doing, 'protecting'."**_ I pointed to a man who had made a comment about the Militia. _**"Take him. He's most likely one of the deviants."**_

The Militia converged on him. He screamed and tried to run, but I appeared in front of him and stopped him, giving him to the waiting cuffs of the Militia.

_**"Didn't you people see?"**_ I asked the frightened crowd. _**"He tried to run. If he wasn't a deviant, he would have stood fast and proclaimed his innocence. But he ran, and proved that he was one of the freaks. God doesn't like people like that."**_ The Militia took the screaming man away, and I followed, casting one last glance at the people before saying, _**"Choose your side! Are you a deviant, or one of the pure? Don't throw your lives away for a Demon who cares nothing about you!"**_

_There's something for them to think about,_ I thought, grinning. _And now for some fun!_

When we turned a corner, I evaporated into the air, appearing on a rooftop above the squad of Militia. I smiled and evaporated again, appearing on Cole's rooftop.

"Hey, Joan!" Zeke greeted, beer in hand. "You're back!"

I smiled and activated my black fire. _**"My name's Kayce, fat-ass."**_

Zeke immediately saw the danger and drew his gun. "Damn…!"

I laughed at him. _**"You think that puny little thing'll stop me? I'm the daughter of Kessler!"**_ I evaporated and appeared behind him. _**"And I'm the strongest Conduit on the planet. Your precious Cole doesn't even stand a chance."**_

Zeke whipped around and fired, but I was already gone, sitting on the door going downstairs. "Don't underestimate Cole!"

_**"Oh, you said a big word!"**_ I exclaimed, clapping for him to get is attention. _**"I'm sure your mother'll be proud!"**_

I suddenly felt a pressure on the back of my head and was pushed off of the door. I evaporated and appeared, lying on the couch.

_**"Cole!"**_ I exclaimed. _**"We were just talking about you!"**_

"I heard," Cole said, his face like a stone mask. "But you're wrong if you think you're the strongest. I defeated the Beast, remember? And if you're really stronger than him, then that means Joan should be as strong as you."

_**"She can be."**_ I yawned. _**"But she lacks the resolve. She's too afraid of dying… again."**_ I smiled and stood up. _**"Well boys, it's been fun, but there're places I need to go, people to hurt, stuff to steal. You know; the usual."**_

Before they could so much as move, I was gone. _Oh, I just love to bug them!_


	6. Mother

Chapter Five:

Mother

_**Joan**_

I sat across from Dana on the couch, beside Lance. Dana was frowning at me, her dislike for me apparent.

"So, lemme get this straight," she said, crossing her arms. "You want to see my mother—."

"_Our_ mother," I cut in.

Dana ignored me. "You want to see _my_ mother for something important that you can't tell me about?"

"I'd rather not trust you too much, Dana," I said. "I dunno if you still work for DARPA, and I can't exactly take your word for it."

She frowned. "Well, you can't see her."

"Why not?" I snapped.

"Because I said so!" she replied, standing in an attempt to look threatening.

I stood up as well, making my height a little more apparent to her. "That's not a real reason, stupid!"

"It is too! You came into my house, so it is!"

"Um… girls? Maybe we shouldn't be shouting, or the neighbours'll—."

"Be quiet!" Dana and I snapped at the same time, just as the front door opened.

"Dana?" a woman's voice floated through the house, melodical and strange. "Did you invite your friends over again?"

Dana frowned and left the living room, turning left to get to the porch. I stared after her, wondering if the person at the door was my mother.

"Dana, you can't just invite people over and tell me that I can't see them!" the woman scoffed as she placed some grocery bags on the table. Now that I could see her, I think I was too awestruck to gasp at all. I only stared. She had the same face shape as me, the same red hair, but a little longer, and the emerald-green eyes I used to have (since they were silver now). "You shouldn't invite people unless you ask me first."

Dana glared at me. "Mom, I didn't invite them!" she hissed. "They barged in here! Tell them to leave! Or, better yet, don't interact with them at all!"

She hit Dana over the head with a package of hot dogs. "Dana, let's not go through this again!"

"Woah," Lance murmured so only I could hear. "If the resemblance didn't get me, I'm sure that the way she reacted totally did."

I glared at him, then returned my gaze to her. Yeah, she did feel familiar. But it just seemed so odd that I was looking at her. And now, she was looking at me.

"Well, since they're here, you might as well give me their names," she said. When Dana didn't answer, only fumed and glared at me, she rolled her eyes and came over to us with her hand extended. "Forgive my daughter. She's a bit… weird."

I think I really had to stop myself from laughing and shook her hand. "Oh, I know."

"Well, my name's Joanna," she said, smiling. "And you two are…?"

Lance grinned. "That's creepy."

Joanna—my mother—glared at Lance. "What's so creepy about it?"

"N-Nothing!" Lance smiled as innocently as he could. "I'm Lance."

She calmed down relatively quickly. "Well, Lance, it's nice to meet you."

Now I know why I picked "Joan" as my name… I put on my bravest face. "My name's Joan."

"Ah, that's why it must be weird," Joanna said, smiling at Lance. "Well, Joan, it's nice to meet you."

"And now you can leave," Dana said, starting to push me towards the door. "Please."

There was a certain urgency in her voice that almost made me wanna leave, but I sighed and stepped to the side, making Dana have to fight to regain her balance.

"Dana, I _need_ to talk to her," I told her. "It's too important to leave alone."

Joanna let an eyebrow rise. "You need to talk to me…?" For a second, she thought, and then her eyes got wide and angry. "No. I'm not going back to work for the First Sons. I'm done. I don't care that Kessler's dead. I don't. Just leave me alone, and in peace!"

"N-No!" I said quickly. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about!"

"What is it then? I heard about the Militia in New Marias and how they're using First Son technology, and I'm not going to work for them either!" She was about as tall as I was, but she made me shrink on the spot. Must've been a mother thing. "So you'll have to drag me there kicking and screaming if you want any sort of results! And if you even try it, I'll hit you with this!" She pulled out a wooden spoon. I sat on the couch beside Lance, seriously too afraid to look at her.

"Lance, help me out here!" I begged quietly.

Lance smiled as best he could and cleared his throat. "Um… ma'am? We _are_ from New Marias, but we aren't here to get you working with the Militia or anything."

"Then why're you here? Why'd you come to the friggin' middle of nowhere to talk to me?" she demanded, shaking the spoon.

I glanced at Dana and mouthed, "I feel _so_ _sorry_ for you." Then I took a deep breath and looked up at my mother. "M-My name's Joan, but I named myself that."

"What does that have to do with anything?" she snapped.

I cleared my throat. "I named myself because I lost my memory. The Blast in Empire City caused me to forget my life before I woke up in a hospital bed." I looked at Dana. "And then I met Dana, and I thought I got back a vital piece of my past."

"You worked with the First Sons?" Joanna asked.

I shook my head. "N-No. I was _worked_ _on_ _by_ the First Sons."

"Kayce…" Dana warned.

Joanna looked from Dana and back to me. "Kayce…?"

"Kayce's my real name," I told her. "I… I'm Kessler's daughter."

Joanna seriously took a step back from me. "Dana, is this…?"

Dana hesitantly nodded. "… Yeah…"

Joanna sat on the couch opposite us, staring at me. "Oh dear God…"

Even Cole had showed me more emotion. Right then, I felt like crap. Like I was something that had been forgotten, only to turn up a few years later, and you don't know what to do with it.

"I-I need information," I told her. "New Marias is in big trouble, and I need to stop the person who's endangering it. Kessler used to call me a 'Vessel', but I don't know all the details." I took in another deep breath. "But I need to know everything, because there's a demented version of me running around New Marias, getting ready to destroy it and kill everyone! I need help with this, and you were the woman who—! Well, you knew Kessler quite well, so you must've known something about me that he was doing!" I didn't even realize that I'd started crying until now. Why the hell was I? I don't even know! "I know that it's sudden that I'm here, but you were close to Kessler! You have to know!"

I waited in that silence for too long, it seemed. I could only hear the clock in the room, ticking away. I waited, and waited, and waited for her reply. For anything. Even if she'd have told me to leave and never come back, I'd have been content with that.

"No one," my mother started, "was ever close to Kessler. He was always so… detached, from everyone. But…" She hesitated. "But no one knew him the way I did. When he thought no one was looking, he'd pull out a picture of himself when he was young with a woman and another young man, but he was married to the young woman. I'd always wondered what'd happened. When we decided to… _make_ the necessary subject for testing the Ray Sphere, I didn't know that my motherly instinct would stop me from working, and I took you from the First Sons. But Kessler came and took you away, warning me that if I tried anything like that again, he'd kill you. But he left some of his journals behind, as if they didn't mean anything to him, and like it'd fill that empty shell inside of me since I could never see you again."

"Journals?" Lance repeated.

Joanna nodded. "I've never looked inside of them. I've tried my best to forget everything that I did in the past, but when the First Sons would send me pictures, they only made me feel worse. I only ever looked at the first one they sent me."

"Could I see it?" Lance asked.

Joanna nodded and grabbed the picture out of her back pocket. "I can't separate myself from it, but I want you to take it. Do what you want with it, just don't let me see it ever again."

Lance nodded and examined the picture. From the way his back straightened, I could tell he wasn't overly fond of it. Then he showed it to me, and I really had to stop myself from burning the house down in anger. In the picture was me, in raggy clothes, suspended in the air by the very same machine that Cole and I had seen when we went to the original First Sons base to look for evidence of Dana's story, since I'd been suspecting her of lying. Every vein in my body was glowing red, and I could tell from the part of my face that wasn't covered up by the creepy helmet that they had for me that I was screaming in agony. I ripped the picture out of Lance's hands and burned it, unable to look at it any more.

When I looked up at Joanna, who was staring at me with a mix of emotions on her face, I let the ash—the only part of the picture still intact—fall out of my hands.

"I need to know _everything_," I told her. "_Everything_."


	7. Followed

Chapter Six:

Followed

Several hours later, I was reading through all of the journals that Kessler had left behind. It was kinda strange, having read only one of his journals before. But I wondered why he would just leave them here with my mom? Did he really mean well in hurting me? Or was he just making fun of her?

_**Journal Entry #18:**_

_** "Kayce is showing progress with what we're doing. She's become stronger, and she's much more rebellious. She already tried several times today to escape, but we found her and returned her to her cage. Kayce bit me once on my arm, but I couldn't hit her. If I hit her, I would kill her, since my other arm is somewhat bionic. Every chance she has, she'll try to escape, and though we've put up barriers to stop her, she continues to find her way around them. She's six years old, and her intelligence is amazing."**_

_** Journal Entry #29:**_

_** "I found Kayce outside of her cage today. She was trying to disable the Ray Sphere! I stopped her, but she hindered our progress by several weeks, and she's refused to touch it any further. She doesn't understand her importance! Her life is something that will help Cole's power, but I fear for what I've done. I think I may have doomed Kayce, but we shall see."**_

_** Journal Entry #56:**_

_** "Joanna has stolen Kayce away from the First Sons! We are on our way to get her now, but I fear that we may be too late. Kayce is the Vessel, and needs to become the last thing that Cole will fight against. Is she going to be as strong as the Beast? I find that hard to believe. I've told the young Joseph Bertrand about the Vessel, and how—if she doesn't awaken herself—he'll have to do it, because it's 'God's will'. Wave the God flag in front of the Bertrand family, and you have them in your pocket. Joanna is exposing Kayce to something she's never experienced before, and her conflicting feelings could potentially be catastrophic in our research. Trish once protected our children, and she died for it. If Joanna has to die for Kayce, so be it, but I won't lose Kayce, or my research. I promised that I'd become ruthless for the good of the world, and I must carry-out that promise."**_

I frowned and shut the last journal. Nothing. He _did_ mention how I was the "Vessel", but I didn't understand most of it. I sighed and lay back, resting my head against the seat cushion of the couch. Lance looked at me from the armchair, and sighed along with me.

"Anything?" he asked as he shut a journal.

I shook my head. "Nope. Kessler always was a cryptic bastard." I groaned and yawned. "Man, this is makin' me tired."

"I can imagine. Travel all this way to see your mom and get some answers, and she can't even be in the same room with you."

"Can ya blame 'er?" I asked. "The woman just saw me burn a picture of myself without a lighter, and I just kinda waltzed in here lookin' for answers about things she refuses to talk about. Happy day? Hell no."

Lance shrugged. "Well, what did you want us to do? Take her out to dinner?"

"Probably would've been less awkward after having a meal together…"

"An interesting topic while eating."

I chuckled. "Well, we're here now, and we can't find anything. There's no way to beat that bitch back to wherever the hell she came from." I sighed and tapped the journals impatiently. "All this way for nothin'. Makes me wanna get our money back for all the stops at the gas stations."

Lance shrugged. "I don't mind. I mean, there was last night…"

I threw the journal as hard as I could at Lance's head. "Bastard! You will never speak of that ever again! Are we clear?"

"O-Okay…"

Dana came in the room then, frowning (as usual). "Damn, you remind me _way_ too much of mom."

"I noticed the resemblance when she threatened to hit us with a wooden spoon," Lance said, rubbing his head where the journal hit.

"Find anything?" Dana asked.

I shook my head. "Nothin'. There's no mention of what exactly a 'Vessel' is, or how to combat the bitchier side of yourself when she's wreaking havoc on the world. And not in a spiritual way, either."

Dana leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "Well… when I was working with DARPA, we would usually have to decrypt a code that the First Sons used to use all the time. It was almost like they wanted us to figure this stuff out…" Her eyes widened. "Holy crap!"

"What?" Lance asked.

"I have something that we decoded from Kessler in one of his old journals!" Dana explained excitedly. "I kept it because I didn't know what it was about! Man, I can't _believe_ I didn't think about it sooner!"

I almost followed Dana to her room down the hall, but I was gripping the floor too tightly. When she finally came back (after searching through a messy room, no doubt), she gave me a piece of paper.

"There," she said. "It means nothing to me, but it may help you."

I put a hand on her forehead. "You feelin' okay? You're willingly helping me, y'know."

Dana brushed it off. "Think of it as repayment for saving me from Sasha back in Empire City."

I grinned. "Think nothin' of it! That bitch needed to be put down."

"Well, she's not dead… _yet_." The smirk that crossed Dana's face made me want to draw my nodachi… which I left in the car. "But check that out; maybe it'll help."

I nodded and looked at it, examining it.

_**"The Vessel is an embodiment of two different spirits put into one place. They will conflict with each other on an incredible level until one spirit defeats the other, and takes control of the Vessel. If both are destroyed, there will be two different bodies. If one is destroyed, the Vessel will be inhabited by the victorious spirit, while the defeated one will disappear forever."**_

__I glanced at Dana. "Um… You didn't think of this before, _why_?"

"I just didn't, okay?"

I shook my head and continued reading.

_**"At some point, the Vessel will need to be inhabited by only one spirit, or it shall be destroyed. By using a shard of the Ray Sphere, one can force a spirit out of the Vessel, and the battle will become a physical one. Vessels are extremely rare, and (in some cases) extremely dangerous. Especially Vessels that have Conduit powers. Their powers are amplified if a shard of the Ray Sphere is used, forcing the Conduits' powers to escalate, until they could potentially destroy both spirits."**_

__I frowned. "Well, that sucks."

Lance got up and took the piece of paper from my hand. When he finished reading, he nodded. "Yep. We're screwed."

I fired another journal at him. "Your votes of confidence suck!"

"Well, we are!"

"I can't believe I didn't think of this thing sooner…" Dana muttered.

"It woulda been helpful, considering it practically spells out, 'Joan-needs-to-read-me'." I smiled. "But we have it now."

I heard something outside and frowned. Lance got up to check the door and peeked outside. He ran back into the living room quicker than I would've expected.

"Joan!" he exclaimed. "Corrupted! They're coming down the street!"

I shot up. "Quick! Grab the guns I gave you! I'll cover you!"

We both bolted outside. I shot fireballs at the Corrupted from a distance while Lance rifled through the glove compartment and grabbed Zeke's handguns. He loaded them as quickly as he could and then tossed me my nodachi.

"How'd they find us?" I wondered aloud.

"Maybe Kayce sent them after you. She seems to have the same memories you do, which means she probably remembered where your mom's house was," Lance answered.

I nodded. "Good point. Now try not to sound so smart. It pisses me off."

I drew my nodachi just as the Corrupted got close. Lance started firing, and hit perfectly on target every time. I had to wonder if those _Call of Duty_ games helped him out, or if he was just a natural shot.

I flicked my wrist, and the fire on my nodachi sprung to life. I charged, and slid underneath a swamp monster. When I got up off of the ground, the swamp monster hadn't even turned around yet. I sliced its head off and then proceeded to hack away at any Corrupted monster I found, distracting them from Lance.

"I'm outta ammo!" Lance yelled.

I back-flipped and landed beside him, throwing a fire shield up around us. "Here," I said. "Gimme the guns."

Lance handed them over. "What're you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna try something…" I shoved some of my fire inside of the guns and handed them back to Lance. "As long as you stay near me, this should work!"

Lance nodded. "I'm ready!"

I pulled down the fire shield. Lance shot both guns, and as they hit the Corrupted, they exploded, bringing several Corrupted with 'em. I had to watch where Lance was shooting to make sure I wouldn't be caught in one of the blasts.

When the last of the Corrupted were taken down, Lance came to my side, panting from having to dodge a few of the Corrupted.

"Damn… I think we've overstayed our welcome!" he said, holstering the guns.

I nodded in agreement. "We have what we came for. It's best if we just leave."

Lance seemed to agree, because he was in the driver's seat before I'd even blinked. I got into the passenger's side and made sure to put my nodachi in the back.

"Aren't you gonna say good-bye to Dana and your mom?" he asked.

After a few seconds, I shook my head. "No. I've troubled my mom enough, and Dana… Well, she'll be happy to see me go."

"She's still your sister."

"Try not to make me feel worse than I already do. She hates me."

Lance smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, giving me a quick hug. "She'll realize that she doesn't hate you and that she's just a pissy adolescent. You'll see."

I smiled and (surprisingly) leaned into his hug. "I hate it when you're rational."


	8. Territory

Chapter Seven:

Territory

_**Kayce**_

"So far, Vermaak 88 has been hesitant in giving up Flood Town," Bertrand explained, pointing to the map of New Marias that was hanging in the cathedral. "But we've succeeded in taking a good portion of it. We've been luckier against the swamp creatures, and have almost totally taken the swamp for ourselves."

_**"Good,"**_ I said, crossing my arms and studying the map. _**"Any other resistance?"**_

"Only from the Demon," Bertrand replied. "He's been gathering followers; people who are part of the Rebellion and people who have something against our holy Militia. Vermaak 88 seem to be coordinating their attacks with MacGrath's, which is making it difficult in getting the city."

I smiled. _**"The Ice People are fickle creatures. They will side themselves with MacGrath because he will allow them to keep Flood Town. We will not."**_ I stood up straight and paced in front of the map, and Bertrand. _**"This is God's mission for us, Bertrand. We must rid New Marias, and soon the world, of the deviants that plague it. We must not fail."**_

"We will not fail!" Bertrand exclaimed. "God is on our side! The Angel Kessler will be avenged in His holy name!"

_**"Yes he will, Bertrand."**_ I stopped and looked up at the map, studying it further. _**"Place some men at the entrance of Flood Town. No one gets in, no one gets out. We'll starve everyone to death, unless they surrender totally and utterly to the Militia."**_

Bertrand nodded. "I will do as you say."

I left without giving him a second look. MacGrath wanted to keep Flood Town… well, he could have it. But he'd have a horde of angry and hungry people to deal with.

_This is the difference between us, Joan,_ I thought as I walked out into the open night air. _Your care for the people will kill you. I will not be so weak. In this lifetime, the strong must become better than everyone else in order to survive. I am one of the strong, and I will see you trampled beneath me._

The Militia that I passed immediately saluted me and waited for me to pass before they dared to speak to each other again. The people here feared me, as they should have. With fear comes obedience. And control stems from that obedience.

I heard someone whispering not far from where I was. I left the fenced-in area of the cathedral and followed the sound quietly, so as not to alert anyone to my presence.

"… I'm tellin' ya!" a man's voice hissed in a whisper. "If we don't join up with MacGrath, then we'll be thought of as deviants!"

"I-I know!" another man's voice whispered. "It's just… The Militia could actually win this time! Don't you wanna be on the winning side?"

"The Militia are nothin' but scum! They'll crush everything!"

The other man hesitated. "Gimme a night to think about it, 'kay?"

"All right. Just meet me here tomorrow! If I don't come… well, just get your wife and hide!"

The men said their good-byes and went on their way. I peeked around a corner into an alley, where I saw one of them leaning against the wall. I snuck into the alley, but ensured that he saw me.

"You lost?" he asked. I could tell from his voice that he was the guy who wanted to join up with MacGrath.

_**"No,"**_ I answered. _**"Just exploring."**_

"Well, go explore somewhere else, kid," he growled.

I chuckled lightly. _**"You know, I heard the funniest thing…"**_ I heard him suck in a breath. _**"People wanting to join up with the Demon of Empire City."**_

"Well, you haven't heard nothin'!" the man spat. "Everything's just talk around here!"

I was standing in front of him now. _**"Oh, I doubt it. There are so many interesting things that happen at night these days."**_

"Like what?" he asked.

I shrugged. _**"Oh, I dunno. Talk, actions…"**_ I smirked. _**"Murders."**_

The man started to straighten up and slid carefully along the wall. "Murders?"

I smiled and grabbed his face, slamming his skull against the brick wall of the building. _**"Unexplainable things that happen to people who don't know which side is the one who will emerge victorious."**_

He squirmed against the wall, trying desperately to escape. I pushed his head further into the wall, and noted gleefully the blood that started dripping out of his head.

"M-Mercy!" he managed to get out.

I laughed. _**"Mercy? I'm sorry, we're out of stock."**_ I held his face tighter. _**"Same with pity, and warnings."**_ I activated my fire, and it slowly burned him from the inside-out. When he was nothing but a charred corpse, I tossed his body into a garbage bin. _**"Pathetic."**_

I found nothing else fun to do, so I returned to the cathedral and sat on a pew. I studied the map further, forming strategies in my head that would channel the people's rage, and we wouldn't even have to bother sending Militia troops in. When I found that boring, I sighed and decided it was time to rest my eyes.

But just as I was about to close them, Bertrand came running into the cathedral, panting.

_**"Yes?"**_ I asked.

"T-The swamp monsters I was controlling…!" he gasped for breath. I rolled my eyes at his age, and fitness. "They've been killed!"

I smirked. _**"I expected no less."**_

Bertrand was staring at me in shock. "W-What?"

_**"Those creatures were sent to their deaths. It was a suicide mission,"**_ I explained, and turned to him, the grin apparent on my face. _**"But it was not in vain. I wanted to let the Demon's friend know that nowhere is safe. She will come, and she will be killed."**_

"Is this the girl that was holding you prisoner?" Bertrand asked.

_**"Yes, she is."**_ I stood up and clasped my hands behind my back. _**"Tell the Militia to leave her alone for now. I want to deal with her personally."**_ I smiled. _**"And in the most humiliating way possible. When I'm done with her, everyone will know her to be a freak, and a dangerous one at that."**_

Bertrand nodded. "I… I will leave her to you."

_**"That's a good boy,"**_ I chided. _**"Your father would have been very proud of your progress."**_

"MacGrath… He'll pay for what he did to him!" Bertrand fumed, his hands closing into fists.

_**"In due time, Bertrand,"**_ I told him as I left the cathedral. _**"In due time."**_


	9. Return

Chapter Eight:

Return

_**Joan**_

Lance shook me awake. "Hey, Jo? We're back now."

I groggily sat up. "Eh? What's goin' on?"

"We're back in New Marias," Lance explained quietly. "I'd heard that there were roadblocks, but we got through okay. And no one's been stopping us. We're back at Cole's place."

"Oh." I forced myself into a sitting position and opened the door, stretching my legs. "Let's never go on a cross-country trip, _ever_ _again_."

"Here, here," Lance agreed readily. "I'll grab the suitcase. You go up. Don't worry about me."

I nodded and headed up. I wondered how Cole was doing against the Militia and Kayce, though I was sure he was doing fine. After all, he defeated the Beast. What could be harder than that?

I opened the door to the roof, but flew back down the stairs as a gigantic fist hit me square in the face. I held my bleeding nose and looked up the stairs, my eyes glowing with rage.

"What the hell was that for?" I shouted angrily.

Cole was dumbstruck as his fist was still in the position he'd used to punch me. "Joan! I-I thought you were Kayce!"

"I thought the fact that were wardrobe was opposite mine would _help_ you distinguish who I was!" I snapped as I slowly climbed up the stairs. "Goddammit! That friggin' hurt!"

As I sat on the couch, Cole handed me a washcloth to stop the bleeding. "I'm really sorry, Jo! Kayce was taunting me while standing in front of the door, and when the door started opening she disappeared, and that was when I punched you. I was already gearing up to hit her when she disappeared!"

"Ah, momentum," I said. "Well, I have to say one thing; for a crazy bitch, she's good with timing."

Cole nodded. "Yeah…"

I held the cloth tightly to my nose. "I don't think it's broken, which is good."

"Sorry."

"No prob." When I stopped the bleeding, I tossed the washcloth onto the T.V. "Hey, how's the fight going'?"

Cole sighed. "Harder than I thought. It's not like when I fought the Beast; he was just one entity, and it was only him on his own side. Well, except for Lucy…" He cleared his throat. "But now, Kayce has the Militia on her side. They think she's the 'Angel of Judgement' or somethin'. She has Bertrand eating out of her hands with all of the lies she's been telling, so now he thinks that by taking 'deviants' to some of his prisons and publicly executing them later, God will reward him."

I shook my head. "That isn't good."

"You find anything about how to destroy her?" Cole asked.

I handed him the piece of paper. "Dana found it. Now we're even."

Cole took a few minutes to read it. "So… she can die like anyone else?"

"Yeah, which takes a load off of my mind. But she's a Conduit, has my powers (with added extras), has an army to back her up that consist of Militia and Corrupted, and she almost controls all of New Marias." I sighed. "Who do we got?"

"We're getting some of Vermaak 88 on our side," Cole explained, handing the paper back to me. "We're in some heavy negotiations with them, so Lucy's taking care of that. The Rebels are getting new recruits almost every day, and now we have you and Lance. Not to mention that Zeke's spying on the Militia. We can usually counter their attacks, but we haven't gotten any of their strongholds yet."

"So, we're not in the best situation," I said. "Well, I'm sure Lucy'll get the Ice People to team-up with us. We can help them; we just need the right technology. And I'm sure that we can find ways to stop them from going insane."

"Yeah, but we need to find out what was done to them to be able to reverse it," Cole pointed out. "I mean, we _know_ what was done, we just need to find out _how_."

I nodded. "They'll come around. Now, I think we need to talk about what I'll be doing during this fight."

Lucy and Zeke finally came back, exhausted and craving coffee. Lance and I were sitting at the table with them, while Cole was making hot chocolate for me and himself. Lance decided on coffee.

When we were all seated at the table, I said, "I wanna help out."

Cole took a sip of his hot chocolate and put his mug down on the table. "No."

"Why not? I can fight!"

"It's not that," Cole said. "But you need to lie low. If I can barely distinguish you two, then its best if you don't fight, or the Rebels will think you're Kayce."

"Which I kinda am, but still." I sighed. "Well, what exactly can I do then?"

"Go to school and lie low. Don't draw attention to yourself," Cole explained.

"What? They still haven't friggin' destroyed it?" I fumed. "Ugh! I bet they haven't even closed it down!"

Zeke laughed. "Well, even in crisis, they'll never shut those schools down."

"This is friggin' ridiculous…" I sighed. "Do I really have to?"

"I think it'd be for the best," Lucy said. "The area where your school is… well, it hasn't been touched yet."

"Great," I replied sarcastically. "It figures."

Cole finished his hot chocolate (what is it with guys being food/drink vacuums?) and stood up. "Go to school tomorrow and be careful."

"Well," Lance said, "as careful as we can be."

"What d'you mean?" I asked.

"How're we gonna explain our absence casually, when we've been gone the same amount of days?"

I gulped.


	10. Murder

Chapter Nine:

Murder

So, in case you haven't noticed or you've never done this before… When you disappear, unexcused, from school at the same time the most popular guy there does, and come back at the same time, questions come up, along with accusations and assumptions.

And as you can imagine, most of those came from that bitch Gwen. I've concluded that she must be some sort of blonde and much less horrific version of Sasha. And instead of Cole, she's infatuated with Lance. She tests my patience like none other, and has more-than-once tried to humiliate me in front of my classmates. Too bad for her that her breasts are made of silicone, because they could accidentally spontaneously combust in science class… Accidentally, of course. Poor her. [Insert care here.]

So, let's count off what I've done with Lance that she hasn't. Number one: sat with him. Number two: gone on a trip with him. Number three: went to an awesome concert. Number four: (unwillingly) had his arms around me. Number five: slept with him (but I'm not telling her anything about that, or anyone else!).

So, waiting at the front doors for Lance and I (who had offered to drive me that day) was Gwen and her gaggle, giving me the best death-glares they could muster.

"Oh great," I muttered as I spotted them. "It's the gang of bitches."

"We can ignore them," Lance suggested as he parked the car.

I shook my head. "They don't give up that easily. You of all people should know that."

"Yeah, I guess." Lance got out of the car the same time I did. "Well, there is a back door…"

"Why haven't you told me this before?" I snapped.

He grinned. "To torture you, of course."

I rolled my eyes and stealthily followed him around the school. We finally got to a grey door that had red letters printed on it.

"It says, 'Teacher's Entrance Only'," I read.

Lance opened the door. "They never use it."

I followed him in quietly, and sure enough, there were no teachers around. We snuck into the hallway and merged into the crowd like we'd done nothing wrong.

"Piece of cake…" Lance murmured. "Now we just have to get to class."

We did, and Mr. Nordstrom paid no attention to us as we got in early. We sighed and took our regular seats, and as I was unpacking my things an announcement came on the intercom.

_"Would all students please head to the auditorium when the bell rings for first class? There is a special presentation today."_

Lance and I got up as the bell rang, and we headed to the auditorium.

_**Kayce**_

__I watched the students hurry inside, as the bell was about to ring. Even though my eyes were pitch-black, no one paid me any attention. To them, I was just another student. I smiled and rested a finger on my lips as I surveyed the area. I was in their uniform, so people would only barely see me.

A teacher, however, came to me as I leaned against the wall. "You there!" he called. "Why aren't you heading inside?"

I smiled. _**"Sorry sir, but there's a change in plans."**_

"What do you mean?" he snapped.

I placed my hand on his chest and incinerated him, giving him no chance to scream. When his charred body hit the ground, I was moving towards the entrance. No one saw, which helped my plans.

_Get ready, Joan,_ I thought as I walked through the doors of the school just when the bell rang. _You're about to become nothing._

_**Joan**_

Lance and I sat beside each other in the auditorium, with Gwen and her gaggle sitting about two seats above us. I felt like the light of my red hair was a beacon to tell them where I was exactly. Which it probably did; their glares to the back of my head started to make me feel like Swiss cheese.

The principal made his way onto the stage, his tie seeming a bit too tight as his face was red. Oh wait, it's "headmaster", not principal. Silly me. I've already been corrected once.

The principal came up to the podium in the centre of the stage and cleared his throat. "As you all know," he began, "New Marias is in a state of turmoil. The Militia and the Rebels are at it again, and having those super-freaks running around doesn't help."

I gripped my armrest so tightly my knuckles turned white. Lance noticed and subtly pried my hand from it.

"The New Marias Academy for the Gifted has, luckily, been untouched, and we've been able to continue schooling all of your children."

I heard a groan in the crowd. _So, it wasn't just me that was upset that school continued. _The principal pulled on his collar a bit. _Does he have a fever?_ I wondered.

"And… in light of all of the things that have happened, I wanted to—."

The principal was cut short as he suddenly burst into flames. Everyone screamed in horror as he fell off of the stage and at the feet of a few students, groping for them as if to plead for help or mercy. When he finally stopped moving, the screaming continued. I realized then that it wasn't just flames that covered the principal.

They were black.

Lance noticed too. I saw him slip a gun out of each of his pockets, and the magazine turned to flame.

Kayce strolled casually onto the stage, in the school's uniform. A few people muttered "Joan", but that was quickly rectified once they looked back and saw me. I was sure they could tell the difference in-between us, since Kayce had black hair and eyes, and she was wearing a _skirt_.

People started to get out of their seats and ran to the doors, but upon opening them they met Militia troops. They were forced back into their seats; some people crying while others were shaking with fear.

Kayce smiled at every one of them as she got to the podium. _**"Hello, students,"**_ she said into the microphone. _**"Having a nice day?"**_


	11. Blood

Chapter Ten:

Blood

_**Joan**_

___That bitch… What the hell's she doing here?_ I looked around carefully, trying to find an exit. When I couldn't, I looked to Lance and mouthed, "Text Cole."

Lance nodded and silently put a gun down, sliding his free hand into his pocket to text.

_**"I hope you're all fine,"**_ Kayce said, grinning. _**"Because I have a special announcement for you all, as a replacement for the one your dear headmaster was going to tell you."**_ She shrugged. _**"Too bad we won't know what that is. Now, first, I'd like to draw your attention to the doors. There are Militia outside, guarding them with their lives. You won't be able to leave until you've heard your announcements."**_

I shuddered. _As if school wasn't bad enough…_ I carefully slid underneath the seats and crawled to the end, then hugged the wall and moved towards the stage, hiding in the shadows.

_**"There's a deviant among you,"**_ Kayce said. _**"And she has a friend who heavily supports her. Maybe you've heard of them?"**_

I tiptoed up the stairs and got backstage. I could see Lance grabbing his other gun and start to aim.

_**"I'm talking about Lance Grey and Joan MacGrath, or 'Foster', as she's known here."**_

Several people turned in the direction of Lance and stared at him in shock, but they couldn't find me. I gritted my teeth and bolted onto the stage, tackling Kayce to the ground.

"You bitch!" I yelled, and punched her hard in the face.

Kayce spat out some blood and laughed. _**"Oh, Joan. Your temper makes you stupid, did you know that?"**_

Kayce put her hand against my stomach and released her fire. I was blown back into the roof, and fell onto the stage as soon as I hit it. The roof started to crack where I hit. I shakily got up, suddenly aware of the eyes on me. The Militia stormed in and saw Lance. He fired first, and got out of the crowd of students before the Militia could see him.

"I may be stupid," I said as Kayce joined me on the stage, "but I'm no murderer."

_**"Aren't you?"**_ Kayce asked as her black fire started up her arms. _**"You've killed Militia, you've killed the Ice People, and you've allowed people to die when you left to find your 'mommy'."**_ Kayce gestured to the crowd of students watching in their seats, too afraid to move. _**"How many people are you going to let die until you die yourself, Joan? You should have died in that DARPA facility, but you survived. Did you know it was thanks to me? I saved your pathetic life, and what do I get in return? Your father, Cole MacGrath, trying to kill me. Along with his girlfriend Lucy Kuo, that fat-ass Zeke Dunbar, and now the music sensation Lance Grey."**_ She smiled. _**"But that's okay; I'll just kill 'em all. I don't give a damn if we're both Kessler's daughters—you're gonna die too."**_

"I'm not gonna let you!" I said as my silver fire started to curl up my arms.

Kayce smirked. _**"We'll see."**_

I attacked, my fist almost coming into contact with her jaw. But Kayce ducked and head-butted my gut, stunning me. Then she came back up and kicked me in the head, but I withstood it and grabbed her retreating leg and attempted to dislocate it. She moved perfectly, instead coming up and hitting me in the head with her other leg while all her weight rested in the leg I had in my hands. I released her and rolled away just as a blast of fire hit the stage.

"Everyone!" Lance roared. "Get outta here now!"

I noticed that Lance had finished the Militia guarding the doors as the students burst out of the auditorium.

Kayce turned her attention to Lance. _**"Poor Mr. Grey. Caught in a world that he didn't know existed. And just think; if you'd kept to yourself, your life wouldn't be in danger."**_ Kayce smiled. _**"Or the life of your mother."**_

Lance's grip tightened on the guns as he took aim again. "You stay away from her!"

_**"Don't worry, Lance,"**_ she said sweetly. _**"I have something planned for your mother. I won't do anything until I kill Joan."**_

Lance fired at Kayce, but missed. She flipped over the fire-bullets and landed behind him. He only successfully made a giant hole in the friggin' stage.

Kayce had her arms around his shoulders and held him tightly to her. _**"And I have something special planned for you too, Lance. Very special."**_

I got up and upped my flames. "Stay the hell away from him, Kayce!"

_**"What're you gonna do, Joan?"**_ Kayce asked, her face sad but her voice happy. _**"Are you gonna get angry at me for being near Lance? Why?"**_

I rushed at her, my body enveloping in flame. Kayce smirked and evaporated, but I saw her appear on my right. I banked and slammed into her, sending us both crashing out of the school. Kayce and I rolled on the grass as the debris from the wall hit the ground near us, some landing on top of us. I lessened my flames until they were in their familiar "V" shape on my back and crawling up my arms, and got onto my feet shakily.

But my face met with Kayce's knee. _**"Idiot! Did you honestly think that you'd stop me like that?" **_she spat as her fist was driven into my gut. _**"I'm stronger and more durable than you! I'm the person that Kessler created—not you! I know this because I'm not so weak as to let myself be open to attacks that I've practiced since I was young!"**_

Kayce twisted her body, letting her momentum bring her leg upwards and soaring towards my head. I caught her leg and glared at her, the blood dripping off of the cuts in my head and my body.

"Cut the crap, Kayce," I growled. "We both know that we were created to test Cole—to further his powers. But we were also made to fight one another, and not just because we're opposites or enemies; it's for the fate of our world."

I pulled Kayce's leg towards me and slammed my fist into her jaw, then I tripped-up her other leg and flung her into the school as hard as I could. As she got up, I grabbed onto her hair and twisted her around, then slammed her head into the wall repeatedly. She evaporated behind me and used her fire, but I back-flipped and drove my feet into her face. When she lay on the ground, I picked her up by her shirt's collar and head-butted her skull. Then I stood her up and roundhouse-kicked her in the face, sending her flying into a parked car. Kayce got up, and as I came to punch her she dodged and slammed my head against the parked car. Even with my brain jarred, I knew that I wouldn't last much longer against her.

_**"You can't beat me, Joan,"**_ Kayce said. _**"Everyone knows you're a Conduit now. Everyone knows that Lance sides with Conduits. Where can you go now, freak?"**_

"Freak?" I repeated, laughing as much as my lungs would let me. "Look who's talkin'! I'm not the one with the sadistic personality and black eyes!" I glared at her, a smile forming on my lips. "And I don't wear skirts."

Kayce smirked and slammed my head against the car again, which had a lovely dent in it now (if you're wondering if it's the car or my head, well… it's best not to answer that). _**"I'll enjoy killing you, but I can't right now. I need you to suffer."**_

"Through your speeches? Wow, that _is_ suffering," I replied as Kayce let me fall to the ground.

She smiled and kicked my ribs. _**"Don't get up," **_she said before evaporating.

"I wish I couldn't, but…" I grabbed onto the car and forced myself to my feet. "I'm told I'm too stubborn." I coughed out some blood and held the car as if my life friggin' depended on it. "And I think I just may be."

I felt arms wrap around me instantly. "Joan! Hey, Joan! Can you hear me?"

I tried nodding, but found that it hurt too much. "Yep. I think… I'm just gonna sleep for a bit…"

And so, I zonked out. Gave ass-kicking? Yes. Received ass-kicking? Definitely.

I woke up only a few minutes later. Lance was holding me, his guns holstered to his sides, while there was a crowd of people surrounding us. Most were students, while others were teachers.

"Can you give us some space?" Lance exclaimed. "Seriously!"

I rubbed my eyes. "Ugh. My… friggin' head…"

I heard a _thump!_ not far from us. It wasn't a few milliseconds later that Cole was shoving through the crowd of scared and wary teens.

"Joan!" Lance handed me over to Cole, who quickly checked-over my wounds. "_Damn_! I thought it'd be safe here…"

I put a hand on his shoulder as best as I could. "Don't worry… We didn't know… what'd happen…"

Cole looked at my head. "All that blood… No wonder you're paler than usual."

"I'd say it was… in my genes, but you're… peachy, and my mom's… peachy."

"Try not to talk," both Lance and Cole said at the same time.

I shook my head, even though it hurt. "I know how… to destroy Kayce… once and for all."

After a few seconds, Cole asked, "How?"

"I have to… blow her up…" I answered. "I… have to… kill myself again. But… I'm takin' her… with me."

Before I could hear any arguments from those two, my eyes closed, and I descended into darkness again.


	12. Wounds

Chapter Eleven:

Wounds

My eyes peeled open, revealing a mostly-barren room. Mostly, because I was on a bed and there was somebody sitting beside it. I almost couldn't believe my eyes as I looked at him.

"A-Alec…" I stammered.

He looked at me, and even though he looked a bit different I recognized him all too well. Instead of pale skin, it seemed he got a light tan while in Italy, but his chocolate eyes and hair hadn't changed a bit. Not to mention that stupid look he had on his face.

"Hey, Jo," he greeted. "You're finally awake, huh?"

"Finally…?" I couldn't remember the day I'd passed out—let alone what day it was! I tried to get up, but found I couldn't.

Alec pushed my resistant head down gently. "You've been out for two weeks. Kayce really did a number on you."

I would have gasped if I had the energy, but I felt like hell and could barely breath as it was.

"I'm glad to see you're alive," Alec said after a time. "I left Empire City because I knew it wouldn't be the same without you. I came back when I heard that the Beast had destroyed Empire City, and stayed in its ruins for a time, but when I heard about Cole being in New Marias, I hurried here." He snorted. "Not fast enough, it seems."

"Don't…" I tried speaking again, but that was an epic failure.

Alec took his hand off of my head and smiled. "Don't blame myself? Huh, you never change, do ya, Jo? Violent and easy to anger, yet probably one of the most caring people I know. And when you fight… Geezus, I don't think that Satan himself could best you."

I frowned. "Kayce—."

"Kayce's worse than him. She doesn't count." Alec grinned. "You're like my sister, Joan. I love ya like one. That's why I can't let you kill yourself again. Not while I can stop Kayce myself."

I tried—I really did—to reach for him, but he'd disappeared into the shadows before I could even lift my arm. I was useless.

It was a few days later, I guess, when Cole and Lance came into my room. I was a bit stronger, and I could talk, but I wasn't well enough to get out of bed.

"Where's Alec?" I asked, as I did every day since he left.

Cole solemnly sat by my bed, along with Lance (who had joined the Rebels, and actually looked _really_ _good_ in camo). I'd managed to tell him that Alec was back, and when Cole found Alec, he explained that he was going to stop Kayce before I "willingly jumped into the fire" (per say).

"He's… been captured," Cole announced. "Zeke heard it from a guy in the Militia. Alec was caught, and he's been put in a well-lit room, so he can't use his powers to escape."

At that second, I thought the world suddenly went too quiet.

"Captured…?" I repeated. "How?"

I already knew. "Kayce," Lance explained. "She nearly killed him when she found him, but she recognized him after she practically beat him to death."

I nodded sadly. "He… But he's okay, right?"

"For now." Cole squeezed my hand. "Lance, Lucy and I are going after him. In a few days, we're headin' out, and we're bringing Alec back with us. No matter what."

I watched Cole leave, but Lance didn't. Lance instead sat on the bed, facing me.

"Are you gonna be okay, Joan?" he asked.

"It's… It's my fault, isn't it?" I asked quietly.

"No! No it's not!" Lance said quickly.

I shook my head and felt my eyes start to get watery. "It is. I know it is. He wanted to protect me, and I…" My shoulders involuntarily started shaking, but I didn't have the will to stop them. "I let him go. I couldn't protect myself, so I let Alec go."

"You didn't, Joan!"

"I did!" I snapped as the tears finally fell. "I let him go! I let him get captured because I couldn't fight Kayce! Because I'm not strong enough!"

Lance grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at him. "Joan, you're stronger than most people I know. Don't you dare say otherwise! But right now, you don't have to be strong. You don't have to be Joan the fire Conduit. Just be Joan, the teenage girl who I know wants to ball her friggin' eyes out." He smiled. "So, just do it, okay? I'm right here, and I'm not gonna leave until you cry like a little girl."

So, that was that. I started to cry, all-out. Who cared who could see me? I didn't. Lane held me close, letting me get his uniform all wet, but he didn't really mind either. He let me. How long was I there, having my breakdown? I dunno. I wasn't the one counting.

"Man, you sure can cry a lot," Lance commented after a time.

"Shut up," I muttered. "You will never mention this to anyone, or I'll friggin' destroy you."

I could just imagine that he was smiling. "There's the Joan I know."


	13. Choice

Chapter Twelve:

Choice

A few weeks later, I was finally out of the sickbed and fighting the Militia. The Rebels had allowed me to, so I wasn't gonna waste my chance. I would slice, punch, and burn any Militia in my path on whatever mission I would go in. Soon, we were gaining ground against the Militia, and the Ice People decided to side with us. They had only a few conditions; they would keep Flood Town, we would try our best to stop them from going insane, and during the time that they were fighting with us and finding their "cure", Lucy, Cole and I would perform mercy killings to the ones who were lost to them.

We did as they asked, and they knew they could trust us. So, we fought. Day in, day out we were beating the shit outta the Militia and the remaining Corrupted.

Cole, Lucy and Lance failed to get Alec. While escaping, Lance had been caught. I couldn't bear to think of all the things that those friggin' Militia were doing to him. If I had to enter the cathedral myself, I would, just so that I could get Lance and Alec outta there.

But I couldn't. I spent my time training, and getting stronger for my last fight. I knew that I wouldn't be able to save Lance or Alec unless I was stronger, and I wasn't gonna stop until I was the strongest. Finally, we got a message.

"From Kayce," Zeke said. "She gave it durin' one of our orientations for new recruits into the Militia."

"What is it?" I asked, along with Cole and Lucy.

"Summin' it up, it's askin' you to come alone to the entrance of the cathedral," Zeke explained, gesturing to me. "Kayce's sayin' that the lives of Alec and Lance are dependin' on ya."

I clenched my fists. "Alone, huh?"

"I'm sure this is just another ruse to get Joan," Cole said. "Remember that ambush a few days back? That message asked nearly the same thing, and there was no trace of Lance _or_ Alec."

"Regardless, I'm going," I told them. "I'm not risking their lives because I'm not sure if she's tellin' the truth."

Cole sighed and rubbed his hands down his face. "Fine, but I'm sure this is nothing. You go. If you need any help, call me or Lucy, and we'll be there quicker than lightning."

I smiled. "That's just you, Cole."

So I went alone. I stood in front of the cathedral and waited for hours, passing the time by cloud watching. When evening finally fell on the city, I heard the cathedral doors open. I looked, and saw Bertrand. My eyes automatically narrowed.

"Bertrand," I greeted dryly.

"Joan MacGrath," he replied. "So nice of you to come to this little party."

"Cut to the chase, Bertrand," I said. "Where the hell's Lance Grey and Alec Chance?"

"Why, they're with us," Bertrand said, and pointed to the sky.

I looked up, and then back to Bertrand. "You… you _killed_ them?"

"No," he said. "Look again."

The spotlights turned on, and there I saw, hanging from the towers opposite the centre of the cathedral, were two Militia with paper bags on their heads.

"What're you playing at, Bertrand?" I growled. "Those're Militia!"

He smiled. "Ah, it may appear that way, my dear, but those are your friends hanging from those towers. I don't even know which are which; Kayce never told me. But I do know that you have ten seconds to rescue them."

I grinned. "Ten seconds? Piece o' cake!"

I upped my flames—or, tried to. They weren't coming.

"As soon as you passed that barrier," Bertrand said, pointing to two boxes, "your powers became nothing. You're mortal now, like the rest of us." Bertrand held up a watch. "As soon as I press this button, the timer will start, and you'll have ten seconds to save them. Or, rather, one of them. You won't have time to save the second."

I took a step towards him. "You… You sick bastard!"

"One more step, Miss MacGrath," Bertrand said, holding a finger up, "and I'll call for my men to drop them both right now."

I glared at him. "How could you do this? How?"

Bertrand smiled. "You have ten seconds."

He pushed the button on his watch. I leaped forward and started climbing up the left tower. _Oh God, oh God!_ I thought frantically. _I _have_ to save them!_

I finally reached the top and tugged on the rope that one hung from. When he was safely on the rooftop, I untied him as quickly as possible and ran over to the second tower.

Too late.

As I watched, horror-stricken, I became aware of too many things. One: I wasn't strong at all. I couldn't even help them both. Two: I was leaping off of the building in a desperate effort to grab him. Three: I was going to be too late.

I reached as far as I could, but to no avail. He hit the ground hard, the blood already welling up beneath him. I landed gracefully on the ground and untied him, then ripped off the paper bag.

I turned him over onto his back. I had already known who it was—I'd known it in my gut and in my heart.

I quickly tried CPR, practically pounding his chest fifteen times before I did mouth-to-mouth. All my powers, and I couldn't do a thing. He was breathing, but very faintly, and I already knew I wouldn't be able to help.

Lance's hand grabbed hold of mine as I continued with the CPR. "Joan…" he whispered hoarsely. "Stop…"

I shook my head and continued. "No way," I said, quickly giving him mouth-to-mouth. "I'm not gonna let you die!" I flipped my cell out and speed-dialled Cole's number. "Cole? Get here now! ASAP!"

_"On it,"_ Cole replied.

I shut my phone and hurried with the CPR. "Listen to me very carefully, Lance," I said. "Don't you friggin' die on me. Not when it's my fault for bringing you into this shit. And if you tell me to stop, I'll never forgive you!"

He smiled. "But—."

"Another word, and I'm cutting your tongue off," I threatened. "You've stayed alive this long! How 'bout you try to stay alive until Cole comes and works his healing magic? Please?"

After a few seconds, Lance nodded. "I… will try."

"Good, because you had no choice either way."

Cole landed beside us gently and looked at Lance in disbelief, and then used his powers on him a few times in succession. "Is Alec around?" Cole asked.

I nodded. "He's on the roof. I managed to save him, but… I didn't have enough time to get to Lance."

"Why not? I thought you were a fast flyer."

I bit my lip. "I am, but Bertrand put up some kinda barrier so I couldn't use any of my powers. Hell, I don't even know what kind of barrier he put up! I just couldn't use my powers, and I wasn't fast enough."

I could tell Cole was thinking about Trish. "Well, Lance… he's gonna survive."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God…"

"My brain hurts…" Lance whined. "I… I think… I wanna go to sleep…"

"Well, if you're gonna live, then go to sleep and I'm takin' ya home." I slipped Lance's arm around my shoulder. He was surprisingly light, and then I realized that Alec was on his other side.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "Thanks."

I smiled. "Any time, bro."


	14. Preparations

Chapter Thirteen:

Preparations

There were two days left before Kayce led an all-out attack on New Marias. In two days, we would be fighting for the future of New Marias and the world. And the outcome would decide who lived, and who died.

Now, when I told Cole that I knew how to kill Kayce, I was dead serious (excuse the pun). I'd have to blow myself up again, and bring Kayce with me. How was I gonna do that? I had no idea. Believe me, if they found some other way to kill her, I'd let them. Just as long as it didn't involve the loss of _their_ lives. It's not like I _wanna_ die at all—it's just that they have so many more things to live for, and if I'm part of the reason that Kayce exists, then who's to say that she won't come back if I still lived?

Lance was in intensive care nonetheless. He'd lost too much blood, but his mother told me he was gonna pull through. Helen was nearly in tears when we'd brought Lance, beaten and broken, to her clinic. I had that feeling in my heart that she hated me for endangering Lance, but she never openly showed it. Lucy and Cole had been trying to keep me away from areas that Kayce was most likely going to be, just to make sure of my safety. But I knew, one way or another, it would all come down to just me and her, just like it did for Kessler and Cole. It's inevitable.

So, I had to find a way to blow myself up. Great.

"Alec," I said as we checked over the map of New Marias, "how exactly did I blow up last time?"

Alec looked up at me, suspicious. "Why d'you wanna know?"

"I was curious—."

"Blatant lie alert," Alec cut in. "Joan, I'm not entirely sure, but the heat from your flames seemed to speed up your heart at such a pace that you blew up. Considering that you can cover yourself in flames and your heart-rate is entirely the same as when you aren't using your powers, it means you can't die that way." He shrugged. "Unless you can find a way to speed up your heart, there's no friggin' way you can blow yourself up."

I nodded in understanding, and then a thought came to me. But it only helped to make my situation a bit grimmer. "Thanks, Alec. No matter what happens, I want you to know that you're like my brother. I've always loved you as one."

Alec nodded. "Once… I thought you and I would have more of a relationship, but…" He smiled. "It seems you have someone else in mind."

"Oh, _shut_ _up_!" I snapped. "Just because I hang out with Lance a lot doesn't mean that we're—!"

"I didn't say anything about Lance," Alec said, grinning. "Hey, did ya hear that? You said, 'Lance-a-lot'. Get it?"

"Curse you and your fetish with Arthurian Legends," I grumbled. "Whatever. I have to go to town for a bit. Tell me what the plans are when I get back, okay?"

Alec nodded. "I will."

_I know what I have to do,_ I thought remorsefully. _I know where I have to go._

_**Kayce**_

_** "Are the preparations nearly complete?"**_ I asked, crossing my arms.

"Nearly," Bertrand replied. "I'm sending battalions around New Marias. They'll counter whatever the Rebels have to offer."

I smirked. _**"Good."**_ I coiled my hands around his waist. _**"Bertrand, through helping me you have helped God. He thanks you, and gives you His blessings."**_

Bertrand put his hands on mine. "I live to serve, my angel."

_**"I know you do, as you will in death."**_

Bertrand nodded. "Yes. Once I kill MacGrath, I will have nothing left to stand in my way. I will become one of God's Angels when I finally pass into Heaven."

I grinned. _**"You'll see those gates in no time at all, dear Bertrand."**_

"I should hope—." Bertrand paused. "What do you mean?"

He turned and faced me, the fear on his face starting to show. I released him and turned away, heading outside the cathedral. One I reached the doors, I glanced back. "Bertrand, say 'hello' to Kessler for me, won't you?"

"_Kayce_—?" His body erupted into flames, his screams filling the cathedral as ventured outside as I left it.

_And now,_ I thought, a smile coming to my lips, _the final battle will soon begin. And you, Joan MacGrath, will know the _true_ definition of pain._

_**Joan**_

__"I really, _really_ need it," I said as seriously as I could. "I can fight and defeat the person who hurt Lance.

Helen Grey sighed and rubbed her eyes, which were puffy and red (no doubt from crying about Lance). "Lance'd kill me if I gave it to you," she said sadly.

"No, he'd kill me." I put a hand on her shoulder. "No pressure, but the future of New Marias, and the world, depends on defeating her."

Helen sat down. "Joan, did you know that Lance's father was a soldier?"

I sat down opposite her. "N-No. He's never mentioned his father."

"Lance and Kyle had a fight the day before he left for Afghanistan," Helen explained. "Kyle wanted to send Lance to military school, but Lance wanted to become a musician. I didn't know what to do. But Kyle said that when he would come back from the war, he'd speak to Lance further about it." She chuckled sadly. "Kyle was killed by a roadside bomb, just before his squad was ambushed. When Lance heard the news… Well, he still refused to go to military school, but he got this _need_ to help people. The day he met you, he was at Gary's Garage. He'd just helped a man to get there because his car broke down, and when he came home that day, I asked if anything new happened." She smiled. "He said, 'Mom, I helped another person'. I told him that was great, and then he said, 'And I met a girl who seemed strangely annoyed with me'."

I laughed. "He was making me late for work," I explained. "We kept moving the same way when we wanted to get out of each other's way."

"He really likes you, you know." She reached into a cabinet and took out a syringe. "Whatever you can do to stop those people from ever doing this to anyone again, I'll help." She filled the syringe with the liquid I needed and handed it to me, then held my hands. "Just try to come back for Lance. I don't want him to lose anyone else important to him. I can't imagine what I would do if he didn't come home every day, smiling as he used to before his father died."

I nodded and gripped the syringe tightly. "I'll try my best, Ms. Grey."

She let out a breath of relief and patted me on the cheek gently. "Thank-you, Joan. For everything. And I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened to Lance. You tried your best."

A few minutes later, I left Helen's clinic and looked at the syringe in my hand; filled to the brim with adrenaline.

_I don't want to die,_ I thought. _I want to live. But I won't let anyone else get hurt because of my existence._ I looked up to the sky, where the stars were bright and shining. _I want to live, but I can't let anyone else end up like Lance. The final battle is coming._


	15. Finale

Chapter Fourteen:

Finale

You know the definition, the quiet before the storm? During the moments that I stood there with Cole, Lucy, Alec and Zeke, I wished that there would be noise. But the city was quiet, and it didn't help my hammering heart.

"If you guys have anything to do," Cole said, "you should do it now. The fight won't start for several hours."

We all nodded. Whatever we would do, it was going to be personal. It could be our good-byes, or our cocky speeches explaining how 'We will return!' or whatever. I flew to Helen's clinic and stayed by Lance's bedside, watching him sleep. There were so many questions in my head; I could barely grasp hold of one before it slipped through my fingers. Lance liked me, but did I like him? And why the hell was I thinking about this now?

_I could die. I could die, and I don't even know how I feel about Lance…_ I held my face in my hands. _Oh God… Why was I even holding him that night? Is my subconscious trying to tell me something?_ I whacked myself on the head. _Stupid, stupid brain! You're pissing me off!_

Lance stirred, and even though he was covered in bandages, he looked peaceful. I stared at him for a bit longer before I stood up and slid my hand in his. I carefully leaned over towards him. He smelt like a car freshener (black forest, I think), but it seemed to suit him. I stayed like that for God knows how long, and then I smoothed his hair out of his eyes.

"I can't do it…" I muttered. "I'm about to _kill_ myself, and I can't even _kiss_ _a boy_. God, I'm a failure."

I let go of Lance's hand and looked at my left wrist, where I had my black leather band. It hadn't come off of me since I left the hospital in Empire City. I undid the buttons and put it in Lance's hand.

"There," I told him. "I don't have much, but at least that'll help you remember." I squeezed his hand one last time. "I'm sorry, Lance. But if I _do_ manage to survive, you can take me on that date that you kept bugging me about."

And so, I left the clinic and went home, changing into the clothing I'd worn in Empire City. A red-brown windbreaker, blue jeans, a white T-shirt, black runners, and a white messenger bag slung over my left shoulder down to my right hip. Plus my nodachi, which was held in place by my bag, so I could draw it over my right shoulder.

_Now, everyone'll recognize me,_ I thought triumphantly. _So much for your little "trick", Kayce._

_**Kayce**_

__I smiled and looked down at the city from the highest point of the cathedral. The sun was setting, and as soon as it went down, the battle would commence. Now that Bertrand was dead, I was in control of both the Militia and the Corrupted. They followed me with unquestioned loyalty, and believed me when I told them that he'd been killed by Joan MacGrath.

I stepped off of the cathedral and plummeted to the ground, and as I landed I created a giant crater in the ground, just for fun.

"We're ready to go, ma'am," one of the Militia said.

I smiled. _**"Then commence the attack. We'll destroy them in one night."**_

He nodded. "As you wish." He looked to his Militia buddies. "Move out! Destroy the deviants! Destroy their supporters! Leave none alive!"

I got up onto the stage and watched my army march. Yes, this would be a bloodbath. Yes, people would die. But they'd never be able to stop me.

_**"Destroy the Demon of Empire City!"**_ I roared. _**"Show him what it means to mess with God!"**_

The cheers that rose up from the army of Militia sent shivers up my spine, and I relished in it. In the distance, I could see a blue, flickering light. And not far from that, I could see a silver streak in the sky.

_Cole and Joan MacGrath._ I grinned maliciously. _Come to me, freaks. I'll kill you both now. The Militia and the Corrupted will take care of that fat-ass Zeke Dunbar, and that bitch Lucy Kuo. Alec Chance won't get far, either. You two… you're _mine_!_

_**Joan**_

__"The army's moving!" Cole stated. "Look!"

I saw the lights of the Militia army spread out in the city, but perfectly in the paths of the waiting Rebel army.

"They won't stand a chance!" I said, grinning. "They're just marching down the streets! And Alec has his sniper rifle, so anyone going on the roofs won't survive for long!" I glanced at Cole. "But I still want one of those things."

"Not a chance!" Cole replied, grinning. "You have a nodachi! And you're a walking lighter! You have enough weapons!"

I scratched my head absently. "Didn't you say that before…?"

"Let's not worry about that now," Cole said. "We're coming to the cathedral."

We landed on a rooftop facing the cathedral. Kayce was nowhere to be seen—until I spotted her glaring at us from the highest point on the cathedral.

"There!" I exclaimed, pointing at her.

She smiled and beckoned to us with one finger, then jumped onto the roof.

Cole readied his Lightning Tether. "Then let's—!"

His phone rang. He answered it quickly.

"Cole!" Zeke exclaimed from the other end. "We're getting' our butts kicked! They've gone kamikaze on us, man!"

"I'll—!" Cole glanced at me. I nodded. "I'll be right there!" He shut his phone and squeezed my shoulder. "Joan, don't do anything stupid!"

"I won't." My lies are so straight-faced, you wouldn't even believe it. "When have _I_ ever done anything stupid, Cole?"

He shook his head and smiled. "Be careful." And with that, he hurried off to Zeke's position. I watched him for a bit before I burst into flame and flew to the roof of the cathedral, landing gracefully (I had to, or else the syringe in my pocket would stab me).

_**"Welcome, Joan,"**_ Kayce greeted. _**"You're looking well. How's Lance?"**_

I glared at her. "He's fine, no thanks to you."

Kayce feigned being hurt and placed her hands over her heart (or where it _should_ have been). _**"Too bad. I'd really hoped that he'd die. But at least I'm here, part of your becoming."**_

I smirked. "Well, congratulations, Kayce. You're part of my becoming pissed off!"

I rushed at her, drawing my nodachi and slicing downwards. Kayce evaporated and narrowly dodged, and where she had been was now a gigantic crater where my nodachi hit.

_**"Aw, somebody's become stronger!"**_ Kayce chided as she drew her own nodachi. _**"But that won't save you! I didn't just sit around, waiting for this day to come."**_

"I knew you wouldn't!" I attacked again, and our blades clashed in a shower of sparks as the fire from both blades jumped forth. "Another reason why I'll enjoy kicking your ass!"

Kayce leaped back and then charged. Countless times, our blades hit. And countless more we dodged. It seemed like we were evenly matched in the battle. Soon, Kayce gained the upper-hand. She kicked me in the face and swung her nodachi around, clipping my grip and forcing me to release my nodachi. She sliced downward, but I leaped toward her and grabbed her handle, crushing her hands. That's when I tossed her nodachi off of the roof, following mine.

Kayce kicked me in the gut and jumped back. _**"So, we won't be fighting with our blades anymore, huh?"**_ She ignited her arms, the black fire swirling around her, like the wind had grabbed hold. _**"I don't mind. I enjoy killing with my own hands!"**_

I upped my flames and dashed at her, punching and kicking like no tomorrow. Kayce blocked, but got hit in the stomach. I scissor-kicked her head and tossed a fireball at her feet. She leaped out of the way and rolled, but slid a little further down the roof than she meant to. That's when I got an idea: _I don't have to die! If I can put the adrenaline in her heart, then _she'll_ be the one to explode!_ I charged forward at her, the syringe loosening in my pocket, but Kayce grabbed my ankle and sent me falling. I braced for impact, but it didn't come.

Kayce was holding me by my ankle and dangling me over the cathedral. Yippee.

She smiled. _**"Eeenie, meenie, miney, mo,"**_ she sang. _**"Catch a MacGrath by the toe!"**_

I smirked. "Your rhyming and your singing suck!" The syringe fell from my pocket. I caught it and swung forward, towards Kayce's heart.

I thought I had it, but Kayce grabbed my wrist just as I was about to pierce her heart. She ripped the adrenaline from my hand and tossed me into one of the towers, and examined it with dull interest.

_**"Poison?"**_ She smiled. _**"Oh wow, Joan. You thought **_**poison**_** would stop me? You're stupider than I thought."**_ She approached me with the syringe, a smirk tugging at her lips. _**"How 'bout a taste of your own medicine?"**_

I squeezed my eyes shut as Kayce stabbed the adrenaline into my heart and injected it. I heard her laugh as if she'd won, but that's just the thing—she _hadn't_.

"Joan!" I looked off of the edge of the cathedral and saw Lance, in crutches, and moving as fast as he could limp. "What the hell're you _doing_?"

_Lance? You should be in bed _resting_, you moron!_ I felt the adrenaline start to work, so I shakily got to my feet. _Sorry, Lance. But I _have_ to do this!_

I charged at Kayce and tackled her, then upped my flames and shot us both into the sky. My fire was starting to get out of control, and jumping off of me in bursts as we climbed higher.

Kayce tried to get out of my grip, but I was holding her so tightly that she couldn't. She tried evaporating, but that wasn't working out for her either.

_**"What the hell're you doing?"**_ she screamed at me. _**"You're going to friggin' kill us!"**_

I glared at her as best I could as my heart smashed against my ribs. "That's… the point!"

Kayce stared at me in shock. _**"You… You're gonna kill yourself again?"**_

I nodded. "I'm not… letting anyone else… get hurt!"

_**"You suicidal maniac!"**_ Kayce roared. _**"You can't blow yourself up! Not anymore!"**_ And then, realization passed on her face. _**"Adrenaline? You used adrenaline?"**_

I nodded again. "Major flaw in us… Kayce! We… never plan ahead… which means you never… saw this coming!"

Kayce punched me in the head. _**"Let. Me. Go!"**_

I held on tighter. "No!"

It took only a few seconds, but when I was up there, it felt like hours had passed. And then my heart stopped, and I knew that it was time. I exploded, along with Kayce, in a brilliant cloud of silver and black. Even where we were, high above the city, beneath us a crater had formed from the incredible pressure of the explosion and sent a shockwave throughout the city, throwing people miles off from us to the ground. I didn't feel any pain; it just _happened_. So when I'd somehow known I was dead, I accepted it. I didn't want to, but I did. And you know what? I brought that bitch with me. Mission accomplished? Yep. Destruction all around? Oh yeah.


	16. Decision

Chapter Fifteen:

Decision

I'm gonna say it again; I didn't want to die. I was terrified, and I was shaking as I knew my end was coming. I wanted to live and grow old and do so many things that I couldn't before, because I was too busy saving the world.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I woke up to Cole. Scratch that—it was an older-looking version of him.

"Kayce…?" he whispered.

I groggily sat up. "In the flesh… I think."

He smiled. "I heard that you had memory loss."

"I did." I examined his face. There were a few creases that were visible, but he still looked pretty young. "I remembered."

"So, you go by Joan now?" When I nodded, he smiled. "Like your mother."

"Yeah, it was pretty awkward when I met 'er…" I sighed. "You're Kessler, aren't you?"

He nodded sadly. "That's what I called myself."

I looked around. Everywhere was super-white, and even though it felt like I should squint, the brightness around me didn't bother me. "So that means I'm dead, huh?"

Kessler stood up and extended a hand. I cautiously took it, and he helped me to my feet. "That's your choice."

"Huh?"

He put a hand on my shoulder, like Cole did. He didn't have that robotic arm that I'd grown used to seeing on him, and he was wearing this long beige coat instead of his cream-ish trenchcoat. "You have to make a decision here, Joan. Your life is hanging on a delicate balance right now. You could come with me, and meet the rest of your family. Your half-sisters and my wife, I mean." He looked over my shoulder, and I followed his gaze to see some kinda portal. I had no idea what the hell it was; all I knew was that it was really big and swirly. "Or you could go back."

I knew that meeting my half-sisters woulda been cool, but I'd already made up my mind.

"Hey, Kessler," I said, looking back at him. "I wanted you to know that even though you put me through Hell, and even though I wanted to kill you more than once in my life…" I chuckled. "I forgive you. And so does Cole… I think."

Kessler laughed. "So, you're going back?"

I nodded. "Yeah. As cool as it would be to see my half-sisters and the famous Trish Dailey, I have a family back there that I need to see. I can't let 'em down."

Kessler nodded in understanding. "I figured as much. Just jump through that, and you'll be back with Cole and your friends."

I smiled and headed towards the portal, but hesitated when I stood before it. "Um… Kessler?"

One of his eyebrows rose. "Yes?"

"How'd you know I was a Vessel?"

Kessler smiled. "Kayce tried to kill me once."

"Ah." I gave him a thumbs-up. "Well, she was a crazy bitch. Tell everyone 'hello' for me, 'kay?"

"I'll do that." Kessler waved to me as I stepped through the swirly thing. "They can wait to see you for a bit longer."

I nodded and moved my entire body through, descending into the darkness.

And I ended up waking up as I was free-falling through the sky. I saw the clouds get smaller as my body got closer to the ground. My clothes were still burning with both silver and black fire, and my eyes were fighting to stay open. I hit the left tower of the cathedral and shot towards the city, skidding across roofs everywhere and breaking through walls that got in the way. When I finally hit the ground, I was lying in the square, where the casinos and hotels were, beneath the statue in the middle.

_Oh, now I know why I didn't have any pain when I exploded and woke up with Kessler,_ I thought sourly. _It was savin' up for now!_

I moved my arm to my heart and felt it beat. It hurt, but I was so happy that I was alive that I ignored the pain. Several times, my eyes closed, only to open and see people standing over me. And then they'd close again.

"Hey! Joan! Wake up, dammit!"

I peeled my eyes open again and smiled as best I could. "You idiot… You should be… in bed!"

He smiled. "Have I ever told you that I have a thing for girls with green eyes?"

"Well, if that's… the case, then you're… a little late!" I replied.

Lance shook his head. "Doesn't look like it!"

I looked at him oddly, and then felt my pain slowly ebb away. "Don't tell me…?" I looked at my hands, which were cut and scarred from the ride down, and they healed immediately. I smiled and sat up, leaning against the statue. "Talk about lucky."

"By the way…" Lance smiled. "You're not a failure if you can't kiss a guy. It's weird when you first fall in love."

My face turned red. "You… You bastard! You _heard_? And you didn't even say a damn thing?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I _was_ half-asleep, and I was waiting for your head to be a _little_ _closer_ to mine…"

I almost hit him, but I remembered he was hurt. "Idiot! How could you—?"

He cut me off when he pressed his lips against mine. For a second, I didn't know how to react. I didn't know if I really shoulda hit him, pushed him off of me, run away screaming, or just let him do that. I picked the latter. So, we stayed in that position for a few seconds, I even let him put his hand around the back of my neck to press me closer to him, when I realized that there was a crowd around us. My face turned redder than ever, and Lance seemed to finally notice.

"I've been waiting to do that for the _longest_ _time_!" he gasped as he pulled back from me, grinning like an idiot. "_Finally_!"

"I _knew_ it!" Lucy's voice exclaimed.

My face was the colour of a tomato when Cole, Lucy, Zeke and Alec stepped through the crowd. They were all chuckling, no doubt after having seen Lance and I.

"I _knew_ you liked him!" Lucy said, pointing a finger at me. "It's about _freakin'_ time!"

"I know, right?" Lance said.

I glared at Lucy. "Whose side are you _on_?"

She smiled innocently. "Just let me enjoy this moment…"

"I don't like it," Alec said bluntly. "Was I the only one who noticed that Lance looked like he wanted to grope her?"

"You weren't the only one," Cole muttered sourly, his arms crossing.

_Oh, great!_ "_Guys_!" I whined. "What'd I ever do to you? _Besides_ blow myself up a second time?"

Lance stood up and extended a hand. One that I took, but released as soon as I was standing. He didn't seem to care, and dropped one of his crutches so he could wrap an arm around my shoulders.

"You wouldn't leave a poor, helpless person like me behind, would you?" he asked as innocently as he could (especially with the devilish grin on his face).

"I wish I could, but your mom'll kill me if I do." I saw Lucy pick up Lance's other crutch and wave to me. "But she'll kill you for leaving your sickbed."

I followed Cole, Alec, Zeke and Lucy out of the square as the people cheered for us. Lance smiled and started to list the video games he needed help with, while Alec and Cole subtly glared at him. Yeah, it'd take a while for everything to get back to normal, or as close as you could get when you had Conduits running around, but everyone'd get back into their groove soon. After all, it wasn't like the world had ended.


	17. Epilogue

Chapter Sixteen:

Epilogue

"You seem like you're not enjoying this," Lance said as we got into the Ferris wheel.

"Call it nerves," I replied as the door closed and locked behind me. "I've never been on one of these before."

"You should see the ones is California!" Lance grinned. "Don't worry about it. If anything happens, you can fly out, remember?"

I smiled. "I keep forgetting I have powers. I haven't used them in a while…"

"Thank God!" Lance exclaimed. "I hate it when you do that stuff! You make me worried."

I still couldn't believe it. Thirteen long weeks after the battle with Kayce, New Marias was back to normal. Lance was healed and back on his music career, and we both went back to the New Marias Academy for the Gifted, where our peers decided we were pretty cool (or, at least, _I_ was pretty cool. Lance was cool to them no matter what). And now, we are on our first date. Well, _my_ first date. I'm not so sure about _him_. My green eyes had come back for some strange reason, and my fire wasn't silver anymore, but its familiar orangey-red.

"You're starting to sound like my mother," I told him. Yeah, me and my mom were on speaking terms, now that she wasn't so freaked about my life and my powers. Dana and me… well, that's a working progress. "So, what does this ride do?"

"We go in a circle." I looked at Lance in disbelief, but saw he was serious.

"Woah. Boring."

Lance shrugged. "Boring, but nice."

And he was right; we got a nice view of New Marias from the Ferris wheel. The repairs were done on the city, and the Militia were out of the picture, totally and utterly. Not to mention the Corrupted. We managed to get 'em all. And the Ice People? We found their cure, and now they were part of an elite force under Lucy and Cole's command and are the defenders of New Marias these days.

The ride suddenly stopped when we reached the top. I peered over the edge warily and then heard Lance laugh behind me.

"What's so funny?" I snapped.

He grinned. "Well, the fact that you can fly should curb this fear you have of heights, huh?"

"It's not a fear!" I replied, my face going red. "I'm just wary!"

"Sure, sure." Lance smiled and leaned towards me. "Hey, we haven't kissed since that day, you know?"

My face just got redder. "W-We haven't…"

"Well, lemme give you your official second kiss," Lance said.

He leaned towards me until he was so close, but I could tell he was being cautious. He was probably afraid I'd burn 'im. So, I went the last ten percent and kissed him. We were locked in that position (or, rather, our lips were locked in that position) for several seconds before I heard explosions behind us. Lance broke from me and looked, a smile on his face. When I looked, I saw rockets flying into the sky and bursting in brilliant colours. I couldn't hide the smile from my face.

"First fireworks?" Lance asked.

I nodded. "They're… awesome!"

Lance took my hand and squeezed it. "I hope we'll get to see more fireworks together, then."

So, the next day, I woke up in my bed. The one at Cole's place. He didn't want me to go and find my own place just yet. I yawned and stretched, thinking about the previous night. Lance was quite the romantic… when he wasn't acting like an idiot.

I heard a knock on my bedroom door and opened it. Lance was there, grinning as he always did.

"Morning!" he greeted.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Morning."

Lance took my hand and put something in it. "Here; I forgot to give this to you last night."

I looked at my palm and saw my leather band—the one I'd given to Lance. I smiled and held it tightly in my hand.

"Thanks," I said.

Lance smiled sheepishly. "I… um, was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk?"

I nodded. "I'll be out in five minutes. Just lemme get changed!"

I met him outside on the street, and we just walked for the longest time. Lance had his arm around my shoulders, and it didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore. Though I kinda felt like he was making fun of my height, because he was so tall.

We walked by a magazine stand and something caught my eye. I picked up a magazine and a newspaper, and facepalmed.

"What is it?" Lance asked.

I handed him the newspaper, my face totally red. "The press _found_ you."

"Oh?" Lance looked over the newspaper quickly. "_Oh_."

_**New Marias Post:**_

_** "Lance Grey, the newest musical superstar to grace Hollywood, was spotted late last night at an amusement park in New Marias—on a date! The girl he was with has been identified as Joan MacGrath, a known Conduit and one of the reasons New Marias still stands today. The two were seen going from ride to ride, but ended their day after the Ferris wheel, where the two shared an intimate moment together and then watched the fireworks. Are they really dating? Or is this just another form of friendship? Turn to page C17 for more."**_

__"They… followed us…" I wisely put the magazine back before I set it on fire. "I'm gonna friggin' _kill_ them…!"

Lance smiled and put the newspaper back. "You look really cute when you're super-pissed."

"You're…!" I frowned. "You're _impossible_!"

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to take your mind off of that article! You look like you're ready to kill someone!"

_And you didn't get that when I said it out loud…?_ I sighed, but smiled and continued walking with Lance. "I _hate_ it when you're rational."

"I think I balance you out pretty well." Lance pointed to a coffee shop not far away. "Coffee?"

"If they have hot chocolate, I'm in."

So, it turned out that we lived in the end. After all the shit that Alden, Sasha, the Militia, Bertrand, the Ice People, DARPA, Kessler and Kayce put me through, I got through it. Yeah, I think I'm lucky. I definitely had help. But it's strange how some things happen, isn't it? Sometimes, you believe in fate, whereas others you believe in luck. In this case, for me, it was luck. But, hey, just be happy that things turned out the way it did. I mean, I'm ecstatic that I have the friends I do, that I have powers that I can use to help the world, and I'm happy I'm alive. I hope that something like this never happens again, because the people have gone through enough.

But, knowing my luck, I just may get the opposite of what I'm asking. Who knows? I have the rest of my life ahead of me, and I'm gonna live it to the fullest. It's just the beginning, after all.

"_**Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings." — Jonathan Lockwood Huie**_

_**The End of "The People" Series**_


	18. Author's Notes

Author's Notes

So, you would not _believe_ the sigh of relief I released when this series was done. I've never worked on anything as big as this! Sure, I've wanted to, but now I can see the strain it takes!

Anyway, this series was actually supposed to begin and end with _"Hope in the Eyes of the People"_. It wouldn't have even been a series. But during the middle of writing it (having decided the ending), I found it would be too hard to just kill-off Joan, because I'd really grown to liking the character. So, I decided, "Why not just put a cliff-hanger epilogue?" It was a good idea at the time, but then I couldn't just leave it like that, or it'd be impolite. So, _"Spirit of the People"_ was created, and it was supposed to end there. But no, for some reason, I decided to continue Joan's story because I felt it was stupid that I didn't have a major villain… _again_. So, why not pit the character against a sadistic, demented version of herself? Perfect. And so, it was the birth of _"Warrior of the People"_.

Now, the characters were actually kind of hard. Cole I wanted to get just right, because in _inFAMOUS_ he did seem like a bit of an ass to me, just because he makes it seem like the world revolves around him. But that's just my opinion. In _inFAMOUS 2_, however, he seems to have a bit more life to him, and his personality starts to show better. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew Cole and could relate to him (at least a l'il bit). Lucy Kuo and Zeke were easier for me, seeing as I knew how to write Zeke's slang and Lucy pronounces everything perfectly. And their personalities are relatively easy to show. Ben, Dana, Joanna and Helen were minor characters, but I wanted everyone to get a feel for them. (I feel bad for not giving Ben more time, but nothing ever really works out the way you want it to, huh?) I hope everyone did. Alec and Lance have relatively similar personalities, both smiling all the time, but they're different at a few key points. Lance has a "need" to help people, whereas Alec feels inclined to because he has Conduit powers. Kinda like that. Kessler was hard, because at times he seemed like the villain, whereas others he was a kind of "Dark Hero" or whatever. I just tried my best there, and I hope no one thinks that I _hate_ Kessler—I think he's a good guy… once you get past all the bad shit he's done. Joan… well, I kinda wanted her to shine throughout the series. She _is_ the main character, after all. But what I mean is that I wanted people to really get to know her and get "character's love", similar to something like _"Harry Potter"_ or _"Eragon"_.

Now, I'm not good at writing romance, so I initially decided that Joan wouldn't have any romantic interests. But then Ben came up, and I wondered. But then I made him piss off pretty quickly. Then along comes Alec, but their bond became more sibling-like. At the beginning of _"Spirit of the People"_, I'd wanted Lance to be a friend who got Joan some good info, considering his connections to the world. But then it escalated, got a bit out of my control, and soon the characters were making-out behind my back. I swear, they must've controlled me or something.

But yeah, I've gotten a few PM's (and reviews) that have asked me not to stop writing about Joan. I'm conflicted about this, so just review on this page and give your two cents about it. Continue or not?

I'd also like to appeal to the artists out there that have been reading my series. I challenge you to make fan-art! (Mostly because I'd really like to see some artwork of Joan and everyone, since I'm not much of an artist myself.) If you have a deviantART account or another place where you post your artwork, make a picture of either your favourite scene, a pose, or anything (almost) about the characters, and give the link to the picture on a review on this page (Author's Notes). I'd really appreciate to see your artwork, and can't wait to see who've accepted my challenge!

Lastly, I'd like to thank all who read this series, and all who reviewed. I really enjoyed hearing your opinions and suggestions, and your death-threats. Remember to comment about whether-or-not you want Joan's story to continue, or if the third time's the charm. And please remember the fan-art thing! I really, really, _really_ wanna see fan-art!

Well, until next time. I hope you enjoyed the series! (And by the way, I don't own _inFAMOUS_, _inFAMOUS 2_, Cole, Lucy Kuo, Zeke, Moya Jones, Sasha, Alden, DARPA, the Militia, the Ice People (Vermaak 88), the Corrupted, the First Sons, the Dustmen, the Reapers, the NSA, Bertrand Sr., or anyone else that you see commonly in the _inFAMOUS_ universe. I only own Joan, Lance, Alec, Dana, Helen, Ben, Joanna, Bertrand Jr., and Kayce. Quite the list, no?)


End file.
